Melbourne gin producer Four Pillars has come together with Yarra Valley's Giant Steps for their fourth release in their Single Vineyard series.

Also the first made with Pinot Noir in the line, the fruit hails from Giant Steps' own award-winning Applejack Vineyard, planted by the famed Australian viticulturist Ray Guerin. Only just recently, the vineyard won Australia's 2025 Pinot Noir Challenge and Halliday’s 2024 Pinot Noir of the Year. 

The gin started by soaking whole bunches of grapes in Four Pillars's 60% ABV Rare Dry Gin (already aged in Giant Steps barrels) for a period of six weeks, employing hand plunging to ensure maximum extraction.

The brand said that the grapes' seeds and stems imparts grippy tannins to the palate, effectively bringing an amaro-like complexity that balances the ripe red berry sweetness of the fruit. After the six-week soaking in, the liquid was pressed off and allowed to rest in stainless steel tanks before being bottled.

It is said that the result is a balanced, succulent, and botanically bright gin with a distinctive, amaro-like character and deep purple-red hue. Ingredients used in the gin include: Juniper, Orange, Lemon Myrtle, Coriander, Green Cardamom, Cassia, Star Anise, Lavender, Angelica and Pepperberry.

There's also some significance in this new release, as Four Pillars' Head Distiller Sarah Prowse also worked at Giant Steps before joining Four Pillars.

Speaking to The Shout AU, Prowse said: "Giant Steps was a big part of my life, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the fruit that comes off the Applejack Vineyard. It’s east facing, so it’s slower ripening than the other sites, creating more intense fruit with delicate tannins. I literally had to beg Melanie to sell us a small parcel of fruit!"

The Four Pillars Single Vineyard Applejack Bloody Pinot Noir Gin 2025 has an MSRP of AUD$175 and will be available to the Four Pillars email database from 18 November, and to the public from 20 November online on their site, or at the distillery itself.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team