Satsuma Gin (Japanese Tangerine)

• Japanese dry gin produced by Komasa Jyozo at their Hioki Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
• Base distillate is 100% rice shochu made from local Kagoshima rice and white koji
• Botanicals include juniper, coriander, and peels of the Sakurajima Komikan, Japan’s smallest mandarin orange (measuring, on average, about 4 cm in diameter)
• Distilled in 2 runs on a stainless steel pot still; base distillate shochu is produced in the first run under vacuum and comes off the still at 40% ABV; the second run, with botanicals added directly to the base, is atmospheric, and comes off at 55% ABV
• Gentle and bright without overpowering its elegant shochu base, this gin highlights the juicy, sweet nature of the Sakurajima Komikan with a throughline of delicate juniper structure
• Non-chill filtered; 45% ABV

The Sakurajima Komikan, Japan’s smallest orange, is the headliner in this elegant and minimally adorned shochu-based gin. Prized for their intense flavor, these tiny mandarin oranges are grown near an active volcano and require laborious care from growing season to harvest. They yield a gin that’s vibrantly flavorful and eminently sippable, and one that rewards deft handling in cocktails—a very dry Martini would be a first choice, a Gimlet riff or an amped-up White Lady if you’re feeling adventuresome.