Jinzu Gin is a Scottish manufactured, Japan-inspired gin with an English woman in the heart. Designed by Bartender Dee Davies for Diageo’s Show Your Spirit Competition in 2013 (as it continued to win), Gin is a great example of East Meets West, with traditional gin-botanical plants that join cherry flower, yuzu and guilt for to form a distinctive gin with a real sense of place.
Show Your Spirit Competition asked European barties against each other in an attempt to design a spirit that could join Diageos Reserve Brands Portfolio. The finalists were a vanilla and bromberwhisky and a spicy Jenver. Dee discussed the competition and told us: “Show your spirit was a great competition and the most stressful week of my life. Fortunately, there was a sense of companionship between us all, although all competitors wanted to win, which made things fun. It also meant that I had tried everyone’s end product, so even though I was sure Jinzu, I also knew I was very fierce competition. ”
Jinzu shares his name with the Japanese river flowing through the Prefecture Toyama, a city located by Japan’s lake. The river is a place to see, join along his race of a thousand cherry trees. Dee has been passionate about Japan and Japanese culture since he visited the country aged 16, so as the competition with Diageo came up, she jumped the chance to join her two interests.
Meaty citrus jumps on her nose with the underlying sweetness. The cherry blossom carries a distinct flower motif, but there is a subtle juniper that supports it all.
Tasted nicely, Jinzu Gin is mild, easy to sip and keep on your tongue. It is generally quite unknown as a spirit, but especially still a ginny with a long finish and a strong enough enberry skeleton that carries all the way to the aftertaste. Yuzu brings a fresh, mandarin-like citrus, and the blame gives a creamy mouthfeel and a taste that bites right at the end. The cherry blossom also keeps strong in the mouth – it is not sweet and not herbal, it rather sits somewhere in between.
