Review: Roku Gin Minori Select Edition

Around seven years after introducing its hallmark gin, the House of Suntory is expanding the Roku line with a more fruit-forward special release: Roku Gin Minori Select Edition.

The limited offering is meant to coincide with a Spring seasonal harvest. It features six total botanicals, in addition to juniper berry: melon, white peach, ume (Japanese plum), ginger, Gyokuro tea, and yuzu peel. That’s a slightly different profile than typical Roku, which combines eight “traditional” gin botanicals (including juniper) with Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Yuzu peel, Sencha tea, Gyokuro tea and Sansho pepper.

Just like Roku Gin, Minori Select comes in a hexagonal bottle highlighting each of the featured botanicals. It’s also bottled at 43% abv. Let’s see how it tastes.

Roku Gin Minori Select Edition Review

The early nose hits with bold citrus, and the yuzu is noticeably more pronounced than with the standard Roku expression. Juniper is up next, along with an undercurrent of pine sap. But neither is the star of the show, and compared to its Roku brand sibling, Minori Select seems a bit further from a London Dry style. More time in the glass allows ethanol to back off a bit, finally revealing the orchard and melon that theoretically sets this edition apart. Peach is present, though ultimately, the scent is closer to ripe apricot. While there’s no pepper in the recipe itself, I also pick out a bit of spice, likely from the ginger. Overall, we’ve got a bright, citrus-heavy nose, but it’s hardly a one-act pony.

A first sip is quick light, and I have to revisit a couple times before flavors begin to truly develop. Candied citrus peel joins tart peach skins, and both are carried by a silken mouthfeel that glides evenly across the palate. (Though I wouldn’t have minded it sitting a bit heavier in phases.) Soft white bread and jackfruit headline a midpalate that’s surprisingly restrained at first. Thankfully, some herbal character builds with time, alongside flavors of salted caramel and botanical tea.

The finish punches back up, bringing much more vibrant citrus than the palate, along with lingering sweet plum. Roku’s Minori Select does plenty to differentiate itself from the brand’s standard offering, and it charts an overall more subtle course that pays off most in the final act.

86 proof.

A- / $35

The post Review: Roku Gin Minori Select Edition appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.