Kitaya Craft Gin

Kitaya combines daiginjo sake-lees shochu and rice shochu with eight botanicals. The Yame distillery names yuzu, dekopon and Amaou strawberry among them, bringing local citrus and fruit together with two Japanese green teas.

Citrus · Spicy · Fruity · Herbal

Yuzu and dekopon bring two distinct citrus notes, while Amaou strawberry and the pairing of sencha with gyokuro give the recipe its softer fruit-and-tea character. Ume and sansho keep that combination from reading as confectionery. Chilling the gin before tasting makes the transition between citrus, fruit and tea easier to follow.

Citrus peel leads, followed by strawberry and two distinct green teas; sansho adds a peppery lift.

The recipe names Dekopon peel, Amaou strawberry, Sencha tea, Gyokuro tea, Ume fruit previously used for umeshu, Sansho, Juniper berries, Yuzu peel among its botanicals. Eight botanicals include yuzu, dekopon, Amaou strawberry, sencha, gyokuro, ume used for umeshu, sansho and juniper.

For this tasting, use 4 cl chilled neat or over one large ice cubeLarge iceOne large block melts far more slowly than several small cubes, so the drink stays cold without watering down.Glossary.. Begin neat, then add ice only if desired; gradual dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary brings out the botanicals without adding another flavour. The freezer-cold recommendation suits the fruit and tea better than a strongly flavoured mixer. Start with a small pour straight from the freezer; if you prefer dilution, add one large cube and let it melt slowly. Temperature and water reveal different details without introducing another flavour. Add the garnish after the ice and mixer; one clear aromatic cue is enough to keep the gin botanicals legible.