Tasting

Anyone tasting Ki No Bi for the first time usually expects classic juniper. Instead, they're met with a green, almost brothy tea note that mingles with bright yuzu acidity and a fine, woody spice from sanshō and hinoki. Juniper recedes into the background, but remains present as the foundation.

Suntory Roku tastes rounder and more floral. Cherry blossom lends a slightly sweet, almost almond-like note, while sencha and gyokuro tea bring a grassy character. Sanshō pepper delivers a warm tingle on the tongue at the finish. Overall, Roku comes across as milder and more approachable than Ki No Bi, especially for those new to Japanese gin.

A third, lesser-known variant from Kyoto is Ki No Tea, a Ki No Bi edition with a stronger tea presence. It shows just how sensitively the base recipe can shift through the dosing of a single element—even a small adjustment to the tea proportion noticeably changes the gin's entire character.

For pure tasting, it's best to nose the gin neat at room temperature before adding ice or tonic, since cold quickly dulls the delicate tea notes. A small sip of water between two gins, much like with wine, helps separate yuzu acidity from sanshō spice. Room temperature also plays a role in how strongly the sanshō tingles on the palate.

Tasting both gins side by side reveals just how differently "Japanese gin" can turn out. On one side stands the concentrated, tea-forward signature of a small distillery; on the other, the softer, broadly appealing recipe of a global corporation.