"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gin lover in possession of a London Dry and good taste, must be in want of an olive garnish." - Jane Austen, probably.

Few gin aficionados will argue that gin and olives aren't a perfect match that just makes sense. After all, what's a dirty martini without the piquant brininess of olive brine, or the added salinity and savoriness from an olive garnish?

Given how well established the olive and gin combination is, it was only a matter of time until someone came along and thought, "heck, why not just directly distill olive oil and olive leaves into gin to begin with?"

And that's exactly what the guys at Four Pillars Distillery did with the launch of the Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin. To make this gin, the team harvested both olive leaf tea leaves as well as three types of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil from olive growers in the Cobram Estate. To balance and complement those flavors, the distillery also combining it with other botanicals like rosemary, bay leaves, macadamia nuts and more lifting citrus ingredients like lemon, grapefruit and lemon myrtle. 

Let's get to it!

Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin - Tasting Notes:

Nose: Very creamy and textural with some nuttiness of macadamia and pine nuts, as well as some earthy notes of rosemary and thyme.

Palate: The texture is very well-rounded and silky! You get some herbaceous and lightly nutty notes of olive oil, almonds, and sage. Pricklings of coriander seeds and black pepper adds a little warmth, and underlying these interplay of flavors is a slight tannic undertone of green tea leaves.

Finish: Medium. There's a very pleasant nutty olive oil note and a subtle salinity that lingers, coupled with a light spritz of citrus zest.

Overall Thoughts:

Sophisticated and well-balanced, this gin has a decidedly savoury and nutty bite to it that is quite distinctive, yet these flavors are integrated with enough restraint for the gin to remain quite dry, versatile and mixable. It's a no brainer - swap out your typical gin for this one to bring out a vegetal richness and a light salinity to your classic cocktails.

@lotusroot518