“Distinctively crafted”
This tasty gin is exactly as quoted on the bottle and above – and is yet another find from our trusty Gin Scouts, Bill and Lesley. Jinzu Gin is distilled in Scotland yet is presented with a very Japanese style of painting on the bottle depicting cherry branches and blossom. Its name also giving a hint of the anomalous treasures within and apparently named after Japan’s Jinzu River, which is lined with thousands of cherry trees.
Distilled from a blend of Scottish gin, this zesty tipple also features Junmai sake, which is perhaps what provides the silky finish and subtle sweetness. We liked it vey much, and immediately compared it to another B&L discovery, Roku which also includes the tartness of Yuzu peel as one of its botanicals. Jinzu smells like a typical London dry – offering juniper and lime – but with floral notes from the cherry and addition of Angelica root. The Coriander provides the finishing warmth, while the sake introduces an earthy element, which is surprisingly pleasant.
Junmai is the Japanese word meaning “pure rice.” This is an important term in the world of sake, as it separates pure rice sake from non-pure rice sake.
Junmai is brewed using only rice, water, yeast, and koji — there are no other additives, such as sugar or alcohol.
Jinzu was launched in 2014 and was the invention of Dee Davis, an English bartender who created it a year earlier as an entrant to Diageo’s Show Your Spirit competition – which he won. Recommended serves of this 41.3% spirit are Indian tonic and green apple, but it is also enjoyable supped neat, with a very passing resemblance to those cherry menthol sweets for sore throats, but in a far, far more subtle and pleasing way.
Jinzu gin can be purchased for around £32 from most supermarkets and online.
