Roku Gin
The land of the rising sun has brought forth unique products that people have come to love and appreciate due to their distinct, artisanal manufacturing method. One such product is the introduction of Japanese spirits and its holistic approach from the distilling to the bottling. This article will look at one of Suntory’s first for the distillery, the Roku Gin.
Distilled with six different traditional Japanese herbs, this hexagonal bottled gin is one of many Japanese gins that have cemented the country as an upcoming gin producer with the ability to compete against the likes of Spanish, German and even British gins! Each face of the hexagonal bottle is adorned with a silhouette of one of the six herbs, and the corners represent the number of herbs used, thus answering the question “Why is the bottle hexagonal?”. A well-rounded spirit, the Roku gin is soft on the nose when you crack the bottle open and is “a uniquely soothing and comforting floral scent” as stated by my partner. She also mentioned it was a surprise to her as most gins that she had sampled
tended to have a brash introductory scent when opening the bottle. These aromas come from the traditional Japanese herbs used to create the gin: Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Yuzu peel, Sencha tea, Gyokuro tea and Sansho pepper.
The very first method of introducing oneself to the spirit is to taste it straight, in my opinion. The gin will hit your tongue and pallet right away with its floral characteristics and you might close your eyes for a second, but when that second has passed, the taste will kick in and you will enjoy the gin’s aromatic flavor and ask for more. It is a smooth gin that can be enjoyed with a few ice cubes in order to dilute its alcohol presence.
The second iteration would be to prepare yourself a high ball Roku gin: tall glass, top with ice cubes, pour 2 oz. of the gin and finish with a nice sparkling water of your choice and a lemon or ginger zest. The highball brings about the softer side of the gin, the sparkling water adds a nice je ne sais quoi to the aroma of the Roku and places you on a reclining chair, bathing in the sun on the beaches of Japan. Nevertheless, having a martini made with this gin is where the event horizon is located. “Shaken not stirred”, a lemon zest in lieux of olives and somewhat dry is what I would suggest ordering such Roku martini. Soft on the
pallet, tastes of an aromatic garden, and a pronounced note of cherry blossom are to be expected, and, of course, a nice and mellow feeling of “aaaaaahhh, this tastes good”!
To conclude, this bottle is a must in everyone’s bar stand. It should proudly be displayed next to its distilled family that are the Hibiki and Yamazaki whisky bottles as well as the new Haku vodka bottle.
