Sakurao Limited Gin (70cl)

Sakurao Limited is a Japanese gin made at the Sakurao distillery on the shores of the Seto Inland Sea, opposite Miyajima. The Chugoku Jozo group was founded in 1918 in Sakurao, Hiroshima prefecture, and the Sakurao distillery was founded 100 years later. It is made by hybrid distillation, with some botanicals steam-distilled in a basket and others macerated in neutral alcohol before distillation. The 17 botanicals are all Japanese, including Japanese juniper berries and leaves, lemon, navel orange, summer sweet orange, yuzu, dai dai, hinoki, green tea, red and green shiso, ginger, cherry blossom, kuromoji, kinome, oyster and wasabi. On the nose it is fragrant with lemon and green tea; on the palate wasabi and juniper berries dominate, with a persistent finish reminiscent of marmalade.