The base spirit is barley shochu, not a neutral grain alcohol, and that is the first thing worth knowing. Ukiyo makes this gin in Kagoshima by redistilling that locally grown barley shochu with juniper, yuzu peel, bitter orange, coriander and Sakurajima komikan, a mandarin variety grown in volcanic soil. Matcha and lavender fill out the aromatic edges, and the finished gin is bottled at 40% ABV. The bottle took Gold at the London Spirits Competition in 2024.

The shochu base gives a rounder, faintly cereal texture that a neutral spirit would not, and the citrus sits on it comfortably. Yuzu leads, perfumed and slightly bitter, with the komikan bringing a smaller, sweeter mandarin note alongside it and bitter orange adding depth underneath. Between them the three citrus fruits cover a genuinely wide range rather than repeating one idea. Matcha runs a green tannic line through the middle, lavender adds a floral lift that stays well short of soap, and coriander keeps the whole thing anchored in familiar gin territory. The palate is bright, soft-edged and clean. The komikan is worth dwelling on: grown in volcanic soil, it is a small mandarin with more peel bitterness than its size suggests, and it is the element that keeps the citrus from reading as simply sweet.

At 40% it suits a long drink better than a short one. Use a neutral tonic so the lavender and matcha are not overwhelmed, build it on a good deal of ice, and garnish with orange or mandarin peel rather than lemon so the komikan is followed rather than contradicted. Soda works too and shows the shochu texture more clearly, which is the part most easily lost under a heavier mixer. It finishes citric and gently herbal, with lavender the last thing to go.