Roku Japanese Craft Gin
Contemporary 43% ABV ABV Suntory Osaka Works
13 March 2026
A Japanese Masterwork
Roku is a masterpiece of Japanese craft. Six seasonal botanicals — sakura, yuzu, sencha, gyokuro, sansho, sakura leaf — each perfectly captured and harmonised with juniper at 43%. The medium evolving finish is pure poetry. The finest Japanese gin available.
4 March 2026
The Sansho Tingle
That lingering sansho tingle on the finish is what keeps me coming back. It's such a unique sensation — numbing, tingling, alive. The yuzu brightness and sakura florals are gorgeous too. At 43% ABV it's perfectly balanced.
11 January 2026
Umami in a Gin
The gyokuro tea adds an extraordinary umami richness to the mid-palate. Combined with bright yuzu, tingling sansho pepper, and echoing sakura florals, Roku creates a drinking experience unlike any Western gin. Perfect at 43%.
8 November 2025
Sakura and Sencha
The sakura florals on the nose and green sencha notes create a uniquely Japanese character. At 43% ABV the juniper backbone is steady and the medium evolving finish — fading citrus, green tea dryness, lingering sansho tingle — is lovely.
3 November 2025
Japanese Elegance Defined
Roku's six Japanese botanicals — sakura, yuzu, sencha, gyokuro, sansho, sakura leaf — create something exquisite. The clean yuzu-forward opening at 43% builds to a juniper backbone with sakura leaf bitterness. Beautifully crafted.
26 October 2025
Green Tea Complexity
The sencha and gyokuro tea notes add a sophisticated dryness and subtle umami. Combined with balanced juniper, bright yuzu, and delicate sakura, Roku is a gin of real refinement. At 43% it rewards slow, contemplative sipping.
22 October 2025
Too Subtle for Some
Roku is undeniably elegant but the Japanese botanicals are so delicate at 43% that they can get lost in a G&T. The sakura, sencha, and yuzu need careful attention to appreciate. Fine neat, but underwhelming when mixed.