There was a time when gin was not widely available at drinking establishments in Japan, and we are not talking about the distant past, either. Today, however, there is a gin boom taking place. New entrants are flooding the market, and it seems as if it will not be long before the saturation point is reached. For the newcomers to survive, they must not only offer a high-quality product but also a unique sensory experience. Sasshu, a craft gin from Hamada Syuzou Co., Ltd., meets both criteria. From the elegant bottle to the sensitively produced contents therein, this is a beverage of the highest caliber. But it is the second criterion—the unique experience—that is of greater interest to us. First, the base of their gin is imo shochu (sweet-potato shochu). Second, though the requisite juniper berries are present and clearly identifiable, they do not dominate either on the nose or on the palate. Citrus, in this case sour pomelo, partially eclipses the ordinarily assertive juniper. According to their website, the aroma “is extracted through the vapor infusion technique.” Third, Sasshu employs, among the fourteen botanicals it utilizes, two herbs that are of special interest to us and closely connected to Japan: biwa no ha (ビワの葉), or loquat leaves, and yomogi (よもぎ), or mugwort. Both of these botanicals have medicinal properties, the former being traditionally consumed as a tea and the latter used in moxibustion, a heat treatment along the lines of a non-invasive acupuncture. Yomogi is also used in Japanese cooking, including in the very common kusamochi (草餅), which is a Japanese dessert made from beans, mochi and yomogi. Oh, we almost forgot to mention the use of sakura chips, which add a bit of sweetness to the finish.
Sasshu is a pleasant 45° gin, well balanced and highly complex. The imo flavor, which is usually quite strong, is tempered by the botanicals. Even if the gin market in Japan reaches total saturation, Sasshu will stand out!
For more information, please consult their English-language site: https://www.hamadasyuzou.co.jp/global/en/sasshu_gin/
Drinking Japan 