Yuzugin: Three Rare Citrus, Vacuum Distilled Onto Imo Shochu

Yuzu turns up in a lot of Japanese gin. Two of the citrus in this one you've almost certainly never had.

The Citrus

Yuzu — the familiar one. Sharp, floral, more aromatic than acidic.

Hyuganatsu — a Miyazaki citrus, pale yellow, mild and gently sweet. The local way to eat it is to leave the white pith on, which is bitter in most fruit and pleasant in this one.

Hebesu — grown in a small part of Miyazaki and rare even in Japan. Thin-skinned, seedless, juicy, with a softer acidity than sudachi or kabosu.

Both hyuganatsu and hebesu are essentially Miyazaki-only. Building a gin on them is a regional statement, not a shopping list.

Sansho pepper and ginger fill it out.

The Base

Not neutral spirit, sweet potato shochu.

Kyoya Shuzo is in Miyazaki and has been distilling since 1834, which makes it one of the oldest distilleries in Kyushu. Imo shochu is what they do, so imo shochu is what the gin sits on.

That gives it an earthy, faintly sweet foundation underneath all the citrus, and it's why this doesn't taste like a citrus vodka.

Vacuum Distillation

The botanicals are vacuum distilled, which lowers the boiling point so the delicate aromatics survive the process instead of being cooked.

For citrus peel, where the good compounds are volatile and heat-sensitive. That's the difference between fresh fruit and marmalade.

What It Tastes Like

Bright and citrus-forward, balancing sweetness against spice and an earthy complexity from the base.

Bottled at 47%. It was launched in Japan in 2017 as a strictly limited release.

How to Drink It

A gin and tonic, or better, a gin soda where nothing competes with the citrus.

It also makes an outstanding gimlet, and a Tom Collins that tastes like it was made with fruit you can't buy.

Pair It With

Fried things and anything rich. Karaage, tebasaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki fries.

Also excellent with hiyashi chuka in summer.

Try It at Juraku

Yuzugin is on the gin list at Izakaya Juraku, Lower East Side.