Roku is Suntory's Japanese gin, made with six Japanese botanicals picked across the four seasons. It is balanced and floral, and very easy to mix.
About This Spirit
The six Japanese botanicals are sakura flower and sakura leaf for spring, sencha and gyokuro green teas for summer, sansho pepper for autumn and yuzu peel for winter. They are blended with traditional gin botanicals, including juniper, coriander, orange peel, lemon peel and cinnamon. It is bottled at 43% ABV.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Cherry blossom and green tea, with a sweet floral lift.
- Palate: Layered and silky, a classic juniper base with yuzu on top and a gentle tea bitterness.
- Finish: Crisp, with a light tingle of sansho pepper.
Serving & Food
Suntory's own serve is a gin and tonic over plenty of ice with thin slices of fresh ginger. It also makes a clean martini with a lemon twist. Pair a highball with yakitori, crispy tofu or salt-and-pepper squid.
How to Enjoy
Gin-and-tonic drinkers ready to try something beyond London Dry, and home bartenders stocking a Japanese shelf.
Product Details
Producer: House of Suntory
Category: Japanese craft gin
ABV: 43%
Bottle size / Format: 700mL
Origin: Japan (Osaka Distillery)
Key botanicals: Sakura flower and leaf, sencha and gyokuro teas, sansho pepper, yuzu peel
Traditional botanicals: Juniper, coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, cinnamon and others
About the Distillery
Roku is made at Suntory's Osaka distillery in a small craft unit the company calls the Liquor Atelier. The site has four different types of pot still, and for Roku each botanical is distilled on its own, on whichever still suits it best, before the spirits are blended. The approach follows the Japanese idea of shun, enjoying each ingredient at its peak season. Roku means six in Japanese, a nod to the six Japanese botanicals and the six-sided bottle. The brand is produced by the House of Suntory.