Four Pillars has built a reputation for knowing exactly when to push boundaries and when to respect tradition — and their Christmas Gin sits squarely at that intersection. This is a barrel-aged expression that leans into the festive season with a botanical bill featuring cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and angelica, and at 43.8% ABV, it carries enough weight to stand up to those bold spice-forward aromatics without tipping into novelty territory.
The Business Behind the Bottle
Four Pillars understood something early that many craft distillers are only now catching on to: seasonality sells. The Christmas Gin isn't just a limited release for the sake of scarcity — it's a calculated play in the gifting market, where barrel-aged gins with a story command shelf space and justify a higher price point. At £39.25, it sits in that sweet spot between everyday sipper and considered purchase, which is precisely where the Australian brand has always been most comfortable operating.
Style & Character
The barrel-aged category continues to grow, and this expression demonstrates why. The combination of wood influence and that quartet of botanicals — cinnamon and star anise doing the heavy lifting on warmth and spice, with coriander and angelica providing structure and herbal depth — suggests a gin that bridges the gap between a classic juniper spirit and something approaching whisky territory. It's the kind of profile that converts brown spirit drinkers, which is no accident. Four Pillars have always had one eye on the broader spirits market rather than preaching exclusively to the gin faithful.
What I find particularly shrewd about this release is the restraint. Four botanicals is a lean bill for a Christmas-themed spirit — many competitors throw the entire spice rack at these seasonal expressions and end up with something that tastes like a scented candle. By keeping it tight, Four Pillars lets the barrel do the talking and allows each botanical to register clearly. That discipline is a hallmark of serious distilling.
Best Served
This is a gin that bartenders will reach for when someone orders a Negroni in December. The barrel character and spice profile make it a natural fit for stirred, spirit-forward cocktails. Equally, it works beautifully neat or with a single cube of ice — treat it as you would a digestif. If you must add tonic, keep it minimal and go for something with low sweetness to avoid overwhelming the wood notes.
I'm giving this a 7.8 out of 10. It's a polished, well-conceived seasonal release from a brand that consistently delivers, though the barrel-aged Christmas gin space is getting crowded, and Four Pillars will need to keep innovating to maintain the edge they once had largely to themselves.
