Sen No Suzu Gin

Adding coriander and angelica to a Kyoto recipe is a small change with a clear purpose. Sen No Suzu was made by The Kyoto Distillery in collaboration with Shinanoya, the Japanese liquor chain, and it takes the distillery's established style as a starting point before pushing the citrus and herbal dimensions further with those two classical European botanicals. Yuzu, gyokuro tea, bamboo leaves, ginger and hinoki wood fill out the recipe at 47% ABV, and the label carries calligraphy by Tomoko Kawao.

Citrus · Spicy · Floral · Herbal

Yuzu leads and is sharper here than the strength alone would explain, helped by the coriander directly beneath, contributing its warm and faintly citric seed character. That pairing is the whole point of the addition: the European botanical does not compete with the Japanese one, it extends it. Gyokuro brings a green tannic depth underneath, bamboo leaves add a dry vegetal edge, and hinoki wood contributes a clean resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary note so the close is not purely green. Ginger arrives late with a warm snap. Angelica rootAngelicaThe root of a tall umbellifer, earthy and musky. After juniper and coriander it is the most common botanical: it binds the aromas and holds the finish.Glossary holds the base dry throughout.

The palate is bright, then herbal, then quietly woody, and at 47% each stage projects clearly.

The strength wants dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary and the recipe rewards it. Neutral tonic, a glass packed with ice, and the layers separate as the drink opens; anything sweet flattens the tea and the bamboo first. Yuzu peel is the finish that follows the recipe most directly, and a plain lemon twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary does the job if yuzu is hard to find. It is equally good in a stirred serve, where the hinoki and gyokuro become far easier to follow. Collaboration bottlings often amount to a new label on a familiar liquid; this one changed the recipe. It ends citric, herbal and faintly woody, the ginger warmth trailing behind.