Raising the strength to 47% does something specific to Roku: it pushes the tea and the pepper forward, where a standard bottling tends to lead with blossom and citrus. The six Japanese botanicals that define the range are all here - sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha, gyokuro and sansho pepper - and Suntory frames them with the classical set of juniper, coriander, cardamom, angelica, cinnamon, citrus peel and liquorice. The silhouette is still unmistakably Roku; the extra degrees simply give every element more projection.

Yuzu peel and lemon arrive first, cut by a clean juniper line, before the aroma settles into tea, blossom and quiet spice. Sakura contributes a pale floral softness rather than a confected one, while sencha and gyokuro bring a green, faintly tannic depth that anchors the top notes. Sansho matters more than its small share suggests: its dry, tingling prickle stops the gin from reading as merely floral and stretches the close. Underneath, coriander, angelica and cardamom supply grip, and cinnamon with bitter orange peel adds warmth without any sweetness.

At this strength dilution is an ally rather than a compromise. Fill the glass with ice, pour the tonic slowly and choose one that stays restrained, so the botanicals arrive in sequence instead of all at once. Ice matters as much as the mixer here: fill the glass properly and the temperature stays steady while the drink opens up. Grapefruit peel brightens without competing with the yuzu, and a single shiso leaf underlines the green tea and herbal side for anyone who wants to push that reading further. It closes dry and citric, with tea, blossom and sansho holding on well after the initial burst of fruit - a precise serve for drinkers who already know Roku and want more of it.