Roku Japanese Gin Review

Travel Distilled reviews Roku Gin, a craft gin from Japan.

Close-up of the label of a bottle of Roku Gin from Japan — Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

I was lucky enough to receive a tasting sample of Roku Gin from Japan when it was first launched in the UK. It was a very small sample, though – not that I’m complaining – so I was only able to share a few sips neat with my wife and tasting partner, and we weren’t able to explore it further in cocktails. We were both very impressed, and now at last I’ve got my hands on a full bottle and we’re even more impressed!

Roku Gin is typical of the fine detail that goes into so many things in Japan. I recently reviewed a fascinating and excellent book on Japanese Whisky, and that’s certainly true of whisky. I’ve also read a companion book on all Japanese drinks, and I’m discovering it’s true across the board.

A bottle of Roku Gin from Japan — Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

Roku Gin Bottle

Before you even get to the gin, you discover that attention to detail on the bottle. At first it looks fairly conventional, short and squat, a little like a Sumo wrestler who’s lost weight. Pick it up, though, and you discover that it isn’t smooth glass, there are depictions of the botanicals etched into it. The calligraphy is, of course, as exquisite as you would expect Japanese calligraphy to be.

Look closely and there’s something different about the very paper the label is made from. A quick search on the Roku Gin website reveals that the label is made from washi paper, a traditional Japanese paper that is hand-crafted using fibres from certain specific plants.

Bottle of Roku Gin under a Japanese Yuzu Tree — Roku Gin under a Japanese Yuzu Tree
Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

Roku Botanicals

Roku is the Japanese word for ‘six’, and as well as being neat, simple, and easy to remember, it refers to the six specifically Japanese botanicals, from the 14 that go into Roku Gin. These are the sakura (or cherry blossom) flower, the sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha tea (green tea), gyokuro tea (refined green tea), and sanshō pepper. These are harvested at different times of year, bringing a seasonal balance to the gin’s flavour. The sakura leaf and flower come in the spring, the two teas in the summer, the pepper is at its peak in the autumn, and the yuzu at its ripest in the winter.

The other botanicals are more conventional: juniper (of course), coriander, angelica root, angelica seed, cardamom, cinnamon, bitter orange peel, and lemon peel.

What isn’t conventional is how the botanicals are prepared and used. The gin is made in what Suntory (owners of Roku Gin) calls its ‘Liquor Atelier’, the specialist distillery reserved for making their craft spirits, like Roku. The distillery has four different kinds of pot still, and the botanicals are distilled differently depending on their characteristics. The yuzu citrus fruit, for example, is distilled in a copper still to deepen its flavour.

The gin is finally filtered using a bamboo charcoal filtration process.

A bottle of Roku Gin from Japan with its Botanicals — Some of Roku Gin’s Botanicals
Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

Roku Japanese Gin Review

The yuzu already has a rich citrus flavour, somewhere between a grapefruit and an orange, and as the gin also has bitter orange peel and lemon peel in it, you could expect a big citrus hit. That’s exactly what you get as soon as you open the bottle. I put the bottle down to go and get the glasses, and as I came back I could smell the citrus from a few feet away. There’s juniper too, naturally, and definitely a peppery spiciness, and maybe a dash of buttery/vanilla sweetness. It’s as delightful and as complex as you’d expect, knowing the source and the production process.

On the palate it has a beautifully rich, smooth and warm mouth-feel. It’s a gin you can roll around your mouth to savour the flavours, which are as complex and subtle as the aroma. The juniper seems to take a step forward, and the citrus becomes less in-your-face once it’s in-your-mouth! The pepper and spices are there, too, and an earthiness, while the finish is deliciously smooth and a little spicy to round everything off.

A Roku Rickey Gin Cocktail made with Roku Japanese Gin — A Roku Rickey Gin Cocktail
Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

Roku Gin Cocktails

When you get a gin as complex and tasty as this, you can do almost anything with it. You can sip it neat, and it’s also good on the rocks as the flavours change as the ice melts. The gin is 43% proof so it can stand a little diluting.

What’s also good, though, is that gins like this transform a simple gin and tonic. The suggested serve is with some very thin slices of ginger, and the company has recommended a way of making the cocktail, pouring in the gin at the end and swirling the flavours around in the tonic. You’ve heard of the Japanese Tea Ceremony? Well, this is a Japanese G&T Ceremony.

Roku Gin and Tonic Cocktail Recipe — A Roku Gin and Tonic
Photo courtesy of Beam Suntory

If you visit the Roku Gin website, you’ll also find recipes for other cocktails using Roku Gin, including a Negroni and a Gin Martini. They’ve also come up with a Roku Rickey, using club soda and mint leaves, which is another easy and refreshing way to enjoy the gin. But however you try it, just try it.