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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Nina Caplan

Haru, natsu, aki, fuyu: the Japanese craft gin embracing seasonal flavours

Sencha tea leaves
Sencha tea represents the flavour of summer Photograph: naohiko.hoshino/PR IMAGE

The makers of Roku Gin aim for nothing less than a pure expression of Japan in all the marvellous diversity of its varied landscapes and the magic of its changing seasons: haru (spring), natsu (summer), aki (autumn) and fuyu (winter). Roku means “six” in Japanese, and every elegant hexagonal bottle of Roku Gin contains six exceptional botanicals sourced from across the country – and across the year, which are then blended with eight traditional gin botanicals.

“We harvest in harmony with the seasons – so we go to the north later because everything ripens later there,” says Roku brand ambassador Raffaele Di Monaco. The master artisans who create Roku Gin bring all their skills to the task of blending each individual element into a final product that’s fragrant and piqued with quintessentially Japanese flavours.

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