Add tonic and the glass may turn cloudy. Nothing has gone wrong: amanatsu carries enough citrus oil that it comes out of solution when the spirit is diluted, and the louche is the visible proof of how much fruit went in. Setouchi Distillery makes this one in Hiroshima Prefecture at 47%.

Amanatsu is a Japanese citrus closer to an orange than to a lemon, sweet and tangy and generously juicy, and it is the centre of a deliberately short recipe. Green tea sits behind it, contributing a fragrant vegetal dimension rather than any real bitterness, and juniper stays present but secondary, doing just enough to hold the category while the fruit leads. Spring water from Mount Haigamine, in Kure, is used in production, which ties the bottle to the same stretch of coast as the fruit.

The nose is fresh and rich, more orange than lemon in character, bright and sweet-tart at once, with the tea appearing as a refined green note behind the citrus. The palate opens vivid and fruit-forward on the juicy sweetness and tangy edge of the amanatsu, and the citrus oils give it a real textured weight in the mouth. Green tea then contributes a subtle bitterness and a herbal dryness, juniper adds resin and balance, and the finish stays fresh and citrus-led with a slight drying sensation and a delicate tea echo.

A neutral tonic or plain sparkling water keeps the amanatsu clear, and a restrained citrus garnish is enough. Bronze at the World Gin Awards 2025 in the Contemporary Style category, Gold at Feminalise 2025, Silver at the IWSC 2025, and recognition at the Tokyo Whisky and Spirits Competition. Three botanicals and one named water make for a narrow brief, and the cloudiness is honest evidence that the fruit was not spared.