Gin clear day was the phrase Second World War pilots used for perfectly clear blue skies, the ideal flying conditions. 4 BARS Distillery took it for its debut gin, which fits a Christchurch distillery founded by a former Air Force and commercial pilot, and bottled it at 47%, a strength chosen to push a classic botanical structure towards more intensity.

The botanical list is short: juniper, orange, pink peppercorn, Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg and pine needles. Warm cinnamon comes through first on the nose, over a subtle juniper, and the palate turns to dried pine needles and rich, earthy tones. Orange keeps the top bright, pink peppercorn adds a fine, fruity prickle rather than heat, and nutmeg deepens the finish. With so few ingredients, the strength does the work of giving each one weight, and the gin stays dry, spicy and long without tasting hot. Ceylon cinnamon is the softer, more fragrant cinnamon, which is why it can lead the nose without turning harsh.

The aviation story continues on the bottle, with metal bars set into the glass, a heavyweight solid steel stopper, a base shaped like a turbine and a bold red Remove Before Flight tag. The liquid has collected its own recognition: Gold at the New Zealand Spirits Awards 2025, a Double Gold with 96 points at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and two Golds from The Gin Guide Awards 2026, in the Contemporary Gin and Negroni categories.

That Negroni medal is a useful hint, since the strength and the spice hold up in stirred drinks. For a long drink, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water keeps the bitterness moderate. Allow 10 cl of it for every 4 cl of gin, with large ice cubes, an orange wheel for the citrus and a sprig of rosemary, which picks up the resinous side of the pine needles.