Suntory Roku Japanese Craft Gin (70cl, 43%)

Roku is a Japanese gin from Suntory, in a 70cl bottle at 43% vol. The name is the Japanese word for six, which is the number of botanicals: sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sansho pepper, sencha tea and gyokuro tea. The bottle is hexagonal, with a washi rice-paper label. The sakura character comes from vacuum distillation in stainless steel stills, while the yuzu is distilled in copper stills. The gin is clear, with a light nose of mainly floral notes and a classic juniper note. The palate has good structure and a precise sip, with a light spicy note.