Sakurao Original Gin

Description

Sakurao Original Gin is made with nine fresh ingredients from its home prefecture of Hiroshima: several Japanese citrus fruits such as yuzu lemon, daidai bitter orange and mikan mandarin, sencha green tea and purple perilla leaves, Hinoki Japanese cypress wood… Each of these botanicals was separately soaked in alcohol before distillation, and then impregnated by the steam from the alcohol during distillation. The resulting proto-gins are then blended to create Sakurao Original Gin.

This gin surprises with its mastery. Sakurao Original is richly aromatic: citrus fruits speak a little louder, but never cut off spices, pine resin, green tea or even ginger. After a rapid climb to a peak of warmth, it puts the wind in your ears as it descends to a long, dry finish. Lots and lots of freshness. Definitely a tasting gin.

A century old distillery…

The Sakurao Distillery was founded in 1918. Back then it was called Chugoku in honor of the nearby mountain range of the same name. At that time it did not distill anything. Thanks to the extremely soft water and cold winds of the Chugoku mountains, which made the region famous among sake lovers, it produced high-quality vintages for several decades. Then it decided to branch out into strong spirits.

The Chugoku Brewery began this new adventure by producing shochu, a traditional Japanese grain or sweet potato spirit that we highly recommend. Then, in the early 2000s, it began producing whisky, launching the Togouchi brand. These now-famous Canadian grain and Scotch malt whiskies, aged in a Japanese mountain tunnel, were an immediate success. Building on that success, Chugoku decided in 2018 to branch out into gin… and change its name to Sakurao.

Since 2021, the distillery has also been producing a whisky with 100% Japanese ingredients: Sakurao Japanese Single Malt Whisky.