UCHU GIN DARK MATTER

UCHU GIN DARK MATTER takes the two-botanical recipe of the UCHU GIN range and raises its strength to 58% ABV. Created by Unichemy, a Japanese company whose work includes chemical analysis, the gin was announced for release in April 2026. Its botanical list is deliberately concise: juniper berries and coriander. For DARK MATTER, the distillery increases the juniper, giving the high-proof gin a more concentrated evergreen character than the signature bottling.

Dry · Herbal · Navy Strength

Water is central to the way the distillery describes the recipe. The spirit is reduced with its Astronauts Water, a soft natural spring water from Tanegashima that the company connects to its work on space-related projects. The producer also uses non-chill filtration, retaining botanical oils that can contribute weight and aroma. These are concrete choices behind the bottle's style: a minimal botanical recipe, a higher strength and a distinctive water used in the final reduction.

The nose is direct and aromatic, led by juniper's cool, green, herbal notes. Coriander supports the berry with a lightly citrus-spiced character, while the increased juniper gives the aroma more volume. At 58%, the first sip carries a firm alcoholic warmth; beneath it, juniper oils bring a rounded texture and a gentle natural sweetness. The finish is persistent, returning to resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary juniper and dry spice rather than fruit or sugar.

The square, dark bottle and its bright circular motif give DARK MATTER a visual identity distinct from the clearer signature model. The spirit is bottled at 58% in a 500 ml format. A small neat pour with a few drops of water is a direct way to follow the change as the alcohol opens, while a high-proof gin and tonic makes a longer drink. Fill a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary with clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary, pour 4 cl of gin and 10 cl of chilled Fever-Tree Indian Tonic WaterIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary, then add a narrow strip of lemon peel and two or three juniper berriesJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary; add tonic slowly and let the ice provide measured dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary.