Etsu Gin 70cl
A delicious gin from the Northern Island of Japan, it has a floral aroma and delicious tart citrus flavours
Description
Etsu Gin
Made by the Asahikawa distillery on the Northern Japanese Islan of Hokkaido, this gin certainly lives up to its name! (Etsu translates as 'pleasure').
The bottle (and gift box it comes in) have soft blues and golds which work to enhance the anticipation at trying this gin. The traditional geisha girl holding a lotus flower denotes a level of peace, calm and, as the name would suggest, pleasure.
It is created with a neutral cane alcohol base, and the botanicals macerate for 24 hours in a copper still. They then dilute to the 43% using water sourced from the Taisetsu Mountains and filtered through charcoal for optimal purity.
Whilst the full blend of botanicals are kept a secret, there is Yuzu, Green Tea Leaves, Cherry Blossoms and Sancho Pepper.
On the nose there is a floral aroma with notes of citrus fruits. On the palate it is fresh and well balanced with a light spice from the peppers and hints of green tea and berries. The Yuzu (a delicious, but rather ugly citrus fruit) dominates on flavours though, providing a degree of tartness from the first sip. The light spice from the sansho pepper comes through again at the end blending perfectly to a finish of the yuzu.
Read more about Etsu
Perfect Serve
The distillers recommend serving this gin neat over ice, and balancing this tartness from the yuzu with a sprig of mint.
Whilst neat is definitely delicious and enjoyable, we like this as a longer drink. In a large glass filled with ice add 50ml of the gin and add 150ml of tonic (we loved this with Fentimans Connoisseurs Tonic). Stir gently, and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
