Roku Gin

Rating: 16/23 I'm not sure what's in this, but based on the name I'm guessing there are 6 botanicals. Oh, now I see it says "6 unique Japanese botanicals" and has a big "6". The bottle is pretty yet functional with a squat hexagon shape that makes it fit in tightly with others and a screw-top lid. N: The nose is interesting, showing that you can make a complex gin with very many or very few botanicals (at least if there are only the 6 Japanese botanicals and not others). It doesn't have scents quite like I've found before in a gin. There's lemon zestiness, but it's a bit briny and bitter or something. I might just be smelling this because it's a Japanese gin, but I think I get some yuzu. There's something floral that isn't fruity. It's definitely like corriander, but it has a bit of a more bitter, light woody aroma to it too, perhaps a bit like tea. The nose on the whole reminds me a bit of a tarter, less rich Monkey 47. Between the two, I'd say that Monkey has the better nose, but this is interesting and enjoyable. P: The flavors from the nose come out immediately. I definitely get some saltiness in here with a little bit of something else that leads me to believe that I was right in assessing the lemon zest as yuzu (though it could just be interference from the corriander). The corriander is nice and I do get some of that tea flavor as well as a bit more floral flavor than the nose suggested. It's a bit more of a black tea than the chamomile that I get from Monkey 47. There's some prickly white pepper in here too. F: The finish is much like the palate, but softer and longer. The pepper lingers for a surprisingly long time and the floral flavor peaks off and on into the finish. It's nice, though not as nice as I'd say the nose and palate are. All in all, this is a very good gin. I'd be more than happy to sit and drink it and it compares quite favorably with the likes of Tenqueray No Ten (I'd say that this is a hair better). Monkey 47 is at least 2 points better and could be as many as 4 or even 5, but for the price difference, it may not be worth the cost. Nolet's is similar in price with a slightly higher proof and a bolder but less balanced flavor. I'd take Nolet's slightly between the two, but they're fairly close. And now I've looked at the back and seen that the 6 Japanese botanicals that it contains (in addition to traditional botanicals) are listed there. I certainly didn't guess that there would be sakura in this since I would have expected that to be aggravatingly purfumey and I have no idea how sansho pepper differs from white pepper, but the tea definitely comes through and the yuzu was spot on.

Citrus, tea, sweetness. Very good.

Not overly floral. Slight bite. Buy again.

-Pretty good, smooth

Slightly sweet, smooth, strong lemon