‘World’s first’ Japanese Gin launches in Selfridges

The Cambridge Distillery has created the “world’s first” umami Japanese Gin, made using Japanese botanicals and distilled in Cambridge, UK.

Japanese Gin, a “world first”, contains juniper and a series of Japanese botanicals

Created to mark the start of the cherry blossom season in March 2014, Japanese Gin features juniper alongside a range of Japanese botanicals including yuzu peel, shiso leaf, sansho pepper, sesame seeds and cucumber.

Each botanical is vacuum distilled by Cambridge Distillery’s co-founder and master distiller Will Lowe at low temperatures to retain the delicate flavours.

“Japanese botanicals are so distinct in smell and flavour,” Lowe said. “We decided to blend the ubiquitous juniper notes with exclusively Japanese botanicals to create what we believe is the world’s first Japanese Gin. It’s London meets Tokyo in a gin.”

The expression is being launched through UK department store Selfridges, at an RRP of £59.99 for a 700ml bottle.

Dawn Davies, wine and spirits buyer for Selfridges, said the group had noticed an increased interest in Japanese food and drink in the UK over the last few years. Sales of sake and Japanese spirits have risen 75% in Selfridges in the last year, with gin sales up 44%.

“The flavours now so popular, like yuzu and sesame, are now reflected in this delicate and elegant gin,” she said. “Fresh notes of yuzu and shiso are set off against a rich spiciness of sansho and sesame, there is a real sense of umami on the palate.”

Japanese Gin is launching Selfirdges in early March, alongside selected high-end Japanese restaurants.