Sakari Shukugawa The Japanese Craft Gin

Sakari has been made in Hyogo for more than 130 years, on a stretch of Japan blessed with fine rice and clean water. This gin is a tribute to the local Shukugawa river, all 4.1 kilometres of it, which is why it lands at exactly 41%. What sets it apart is sake kasu, the fragrant paste of pressed rice lees left over from sake-making, used in the distillation, alongside sugi, the Japanese cedar traditionally cut for the house's barrels and folded in here as a botanical.

The nose is spicy and fruity, juniper with citrus, yuzu and a lick of pepper. The palate is full-bodied and layered, juniper meeting cypress, bright yuzu and a soft cherry-leaf note. It finishes long and gently spiced. Serve it with a light tonic and a twist of yuzu or lemon to let the citrus and cedar sing, or sip it neat to follow where the sake lees lead.