Beam Suntory has launched a premium Japanese craft gin called Roku, which will be expanded from Japan to markets in Europe and Southeast Asia later this year.
Meaning ‘six’ in Japanese, the gin is infused with six traditional Japanese botanicals before being distilled by Suntory in the city of Osaka. They include sakura flower and sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha and gyokuro teas, plus sansho pepper. All of the botanicals are reportedly harvested in accordance with the ‘shun’ tradition, which dictates that the ingredients are only harvested at the peak of their flavour.
In a process unique to Roku, the six botanicals are distilled using a selection of different pot stills, each chosen to ensure the best flavour is extracted from each ingredient. The result is a complex yet harmonious gin with a smooth and silky texture, Beam Suntory said. It claimed the new product will ‘meet demand for a crafted, premium gin with a distinctive and balanced flavour’.
Roku will join Beam Suntory’s other gin brands – Larios and Sipsmith – and means the Japanese company now has a broad base of offerings across the standard, premium and super-premium segments of the gin category.
Already available in Japan, the gin will be expanded to Germany, Taiwan and markets in Southeast Asia this September. It is available in a 700ml bottle with an ABV of 43% and a recommended retail price of €25. A special edition will also be available for the global travel retail channel.
Beam Suntory brand director Jeanette Edwards said: “We are very excited and honoured to bring Roku Japanese gin to global markets and a special Select Edition to global travel retail. We are confident that Roku will become the definitive Japanese craft gin in the global premium gin category, which has enjoyed significant growth in recent years.”
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