Never not teaching us the traditions of Japanese culture, Suntory's Roku Gin's latest buzz comes in the form of its Roku Gin Noryo Tea Edition, which pays tribute to Noryo, that is the art of cooling down in the summertime by enjoying the river breeze. And so building upon that, Roku Gin - Roku being "Six" in Japanese, referencing the six specialty Japanese botanicals that underpin Roku Gin - is tapping on green tea as the star botanical here, which pays homage to the summer season with its fresh vibrance.
This is in fact the second seasonal release from Roku Gin's Seasonal Festival Collection - the first being the really delightful Sakura Bloom Edition - and in particular emphasises the use of sencha tea and gyokuro tea which are part of Roku's selection of specialty Japanese botanicals, over and beyond the palette that also consists of other hallmark botanicals such as sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel and sansho pepper.
And so with this heatwave going on, it seems like such a godsend for Suntory to have run a pop-up in town that they're calling Asia's smallest tea bar - we of course had to check it out.
Let's go!
Gin Review: Roku Gin Noryo Tea Edition, 43% ABV
Tasting Notes (Neat vs in a cocktail)
Colour: Clear
Aroma: Bright, crisp, delicately floral and softly grassy. It opens with an immediate honeyed Jasmine floral fragrance along with a constant green tea-dominant fragrance – not so much matcha but a more delicate sencha or longjing tea profile, and also a green touch of Sakura leaves. Just as present is a fresh yuzu citrus peel sweetness along with an earthy-peppery juniper backbone – the pepper seems a bit more pyrazine, reminiscent of yuzu kosho sauce (almost certainly due to the added sansho peppers), slightly shaper and more prominent than in the standard Roku gin. Some granite-led minerality on the back.
Taste: Really fresh, botanically rich and textural. Opens with a similar delicate sencha and longjing tea note from the nose – both a fresh grassy quality along with a restrained umami savouriness of toasted tea. Luscious Fuji apples, joined with fresh zesty yuzu and pomelo, the spiced yuzu kosho notes make a reappearance before shading into a firm backbone of juniper spice, spearmint, black pepper, light sandalwood. Very light impressions of sakura mochi.
Finish: Clean, distinctively cooling and very drying - the menthol sensation enhanced on the exhale. A touch of grassy green tea tannins and bitterness.
In a Gin & Tonic
This makes for a citrusy and rather green G&T. Much of the yuzu-led typicity of the regular Roku gin is found here, though the spicy yuzu kosho profile seems to be much further accentuated by the dry soda. Subtle white floral notes can be found in the background, while towards the finish the slightly savoury sencha/longjing tea influences resolve very nicely when overlaid with the natural bitterness of the quinine, making it reminiscent of cold green tea.
My Thoughts
This is a much more tea-forward and floral interpretation of Roku – it retains most of the signature yuzu and sakura florals of the standard Roku while adding a restrained layer of light sencha bitterness and savouriness. Compared to the standard, this also seems to have a more prominent line of spice and spearmint that threads through from first sip to finish - the heat from the sansho pepper seems to be appear much more clearly in the Noryo Tea Edition gin.
This would make for a nice pairing with light umami Asian dishes – think ochazuke, grilled fish, yakitori.
Kanpai!
@CharsiuCharlie
