Roku Gin The Japanese Craft Gin (Gift Box)

Roku, Japanese for six, is Suntory's tribute to the country's seasons and its native botanicals: cherry blossom and cherry leaf, yuzu peel, sencha and gyokuro teas, and sanshō pepper. Each is distilled separately, on a method tuned to that ingredient, so its character survives intact before everything is blended with classic juniper, coriander and angelica. The result is a craft gin of unusual finesse, and this edition arrives with a Roku glass.

The nose offers cherry blossom and fresh yuzu over a brush of green tea. The palate is balanced and elegant, tart tea and bright citrus meeting juniper and a refined pepper spice, finishing long, gently spicy and fresh with a subtle bitterness and floral accents. Build a clean gin and tonic with a neutral tonic and a strip of yuzu zest.