Distilling

Wilma was the first still at Four Pillars in 2013. It's a copper pot still from the German company CARL, named after the head distiller's deceased mother. By now, the distillery house in Healesville holds several such stills, all copper, six in total. Copper reacts with the sulfurous compounds in the vapor, making the spirit smoother.

For the Rare Dry Gin, juniper is added directly to the still along with the other botanicals. Everything is macerated there with neutral alcohol, soaked for several hours before distillation begins. This is known as a one-shot method. The finished gin reaches nearly its drinking strength after a single distillation, rather than being blended later with a concentrated extract.

The Melbourne Gin Company takes the opposite approach. In equipment originally built for perfume production, each ingredient is distilled separately. Juniper on its own, citrus peel on its own, sandalwood on its own, eleven separate distillations in total for a single bottle. Only afterward are the individual distillates blended together in precise proportions.

For the Bloody Shiraz Gin from Four Pillars, a third step is added that has nothing to do with distillation. Shiraz grapes from neighboring vineyards are destemmed, usually steeped whole in already-finished Rare Dry Gin. The must sits cool for eight weeks, stirred daily.

The must is then pressed and blended with more Rare Dry Gin. The process sits closer to winemaking than to classic distilling.