50% ABV, 700 ml, from Kyoto Japan
Kl NO Bl GO Kyoto Dry Gin is a limited bottling made to celebrate the 5th anniversary of internationally acclaimed Kl NO Bl Gin. Go means “five” in Japanese and the characters for “5th Anniversary” are embossed on the label. These highlighted elements have been blocked with gold leaf from Horikin, a goldsmith founded in 1711 and located a short walk from the distillery. GO has been tweaked to reflect the botanicals’ qualities at a higher strength of 50% ABV.
- limited, anniversary bottling from The Kyoto Distillery
- Shares botanicals with the KI NO BI flagship gin, but the hinoki (Japanese cypress) has been replaced with Japanese red pine (akamatsu). Also bottled at a higher ABV of 50% (versus 45.7%)
- Full list of botanicals includes juniper, akamatsu, yellow yuzu, red shiso leaves, bamboo leaves, ginger, lemon, orris, gyokuro tea from the Uji region, green sanshō (Japanese Szechuan peppercorn) and kinome (leaves from the peppercorn tree).
- Botanicals are macerated in rice spirit and distilled separately to capture their optimal flavor, then blended together.
- Proofed down with water sourced from the Fushimi region, known for its delicate brewing water.
- A nose of fresh yuzu and bright sansho burst forward, complemented by fresh grass and white-chocolate nuance from the gyokuro tea. A sweet entry on the palate is followed by pepper spice, resinous Akamatsu, and bright citrus. The finish reveals ginger and lemon with forest-like undertones of Akamatsu and juniper.