We were very excited to discover and obtain a bottle or two of Cambridge Distillery Japanese gin. Japanese and gin are not two words we would normally put together so it was with some interest that we embarked on our tasting.
On the nose we picked up sweet floral notes. Neat it is sweet and light, with a savory finish which grabs the back of the palate, it has a soft aromatic element – this is very drinkable gin neat on cracked ice, in fact it’s one of the most drinkable neat gins we have ever tasted which means this is an extremely well-balanced spirit, bravo.
Cambridge Distillery Japanese Gin would make an excellent delicate martini, in fact a geisha of a martini – elegant and light on its feet.
In a Gin & Tonic, as this gin is delicate and very drinkable, we would recommend less than 1:3 gin to tonic ratio. As a garnish we are thinking pink peppercorn and/or radish.
Cambridge Distillery Japanese Gin
This is what Cambridge Distillery say:
- Juniper: No gin is gin without Juniper. We use the best we can source: organic and hand-harvested in Macedonia
- Shiso leaf is a beautiful culinary herb from Japan, often used for seasoning as well as a natural plate for wasabi
- Seasame seeds feature so strongly in Japanese cooking that the country has become the world’s largest importer of sesame seed! We use a roasted white seed which offers a smooth, nutty profile
- Cucumber is a popular ingredient in both sushi and gin. We only use fresh cucumber, capturing its fresh green character by distilling it at low temperatures under vacuum
- Sanshō is a spice with a distinctive and broad flavour, playing the role of the earthy, root botanicals commonly found in London Dry Gin
- Yuzu has an aromatic zest, often used in place of lemon zest in Japanese cuisine. It plays exactly the same role in Japanese Gin, bringing clean, crisp citrus character
What we say is – what a great gin, this is opening up new avenues for this spirit and brings, again, something new to the table, it is pleasure to drink and a really great product. In fact you drink it, and can’t believe it’s true and have to have another one. Cambridge Distillery is a small company – a husband and wife team, yes they’re boffins (nothing wrong with that) but love and gin ! – we salute you – gin lovers out there buy some!
Cambridge Distillery’s Japanese Gin will be on our world gin day tasting menu and on our regular our gin menu from this week. Well done!