THE HERBALIST YASO JIN was created in collaboration with Mr. Jin Akanishi, a herbalist and herbal wine enthusiast.
We aimed for a dry gin, as we do not usually drink sweet drinks. The result is a gin with a slightly mature taste with fresh flavors of orange and lemon in the bitterness.
Our core business is health food. We distill the alcohol produced in the process of making enzyme drinks and other products several times and use it as the base spirit for making GINs and liqueurs.
Mr. Akanishi became interested in the process, and this collaboration was born.
Nine botanicals were used, including juniper berry. Each was distilled individually, using different distillation methods to extract the aroma we were looking for in the ingredients. Juniper berries were soaked in alcohol for one day, macerated, and distilled. By soaking in alcohol, we were able to extract the juicy flavor of juniper berries and the green aroma reminiscent of coniferous trees.
Ginseng is also soaked for a day to extract more of the bitterness and aroma of the ingredients, and distilled to accentuate the flavor even in small quantities.
Orange and lemon peels are distilled in a basket without maceration, using a method that allows the aroma to be taken through steam. By doing so, we extracted a fresher and more powerful aroma of orange and lemon. Incidentally, two types of orange peel are used: Valencia oranges and navel oranges. The remaining four types, ginger, thyme, rosemary, and green pepper, are distilled using a method called reduced-pressure distillation, which allows the aroma of the ingredients themselves to be brought out more fully.
Each of the nine varieties is distilled and then blended to create the final product. The flavor combines the pulpy sweetness and herbal aroma of juniper berries, the fresh taste of orange peel and lemon peel, the bitterness of ginseng root, the tangy accent of ginger and green pepper, and the green aroma of rosemary and thyme that supports the bottom. Each of these flavors are combined in a well-balanced manner to create this dry yet flavorful gin.
Jin Akanishi recommends it with soda. By sodering up, the entire aroma expands and the fresh aroma of orange peel and lemon peel tickles the nostrils, and the juicy flavor of juniper berries and the gentle bitterness of ginseng root can be enjoyed in a refreshing taste that lingers through to the aftertaste.
［Fruits]
plum, kumquat, fig, tangerine, pineapple, apple, grape, melon, lemon, grapefruit, apricot
［Vegetables]
Capsicum, ginger, shiitake mushroom, carrot, onion, parsley, cabbage, burdock, bean sprout, garlic
［Seaweeds.]
Kelp, funori (seaweed)
[9 botanicals]
Juniper berries, Valencia orange peel, navel orange peel, lemon peel, rosemary, ginger, green pepper, thyme, ginseng
Content: 500ml
Alcohol: 45%
Price: 8,800 yen (tax included)
