With more and more shochu and awamori distilleries in Japan branching out into new spirit styles and markets, we're finding fresh gin takes left and right. Kuradashi 蔵出しliterally means to release goods from a warehouse (in this case, a distillery's), and these gins were selected to showcase that very thing.

Both gins use the distiller's own breadwinning spirits as a base and feature botanicals local to the distilleries. Between both of these gins you'll find a nice array of citrus, umami, fruit, and herbaceous-ness, and we have done the necessary field research to confirm that they are both dynamite in a Gin Sonic! Check out our blog for a quick Gin Sonic rundown (it's easy and very good). Both are splendid on the rocks or in a straight-ahead highball as well.

Osuzu Gin

Osuzu Gin uses the well-loved Yamaneko Imo Shochu as the base for this gin, lending a supple texture, tropical fruit notes, and a subtle, earthy imo shochu finish which lingers and grows with each sip. The nose is bright and complex, giving notes of juniper, coriander, dried seaweed, and lemon peel. The palate is sumptuous, refreshing goodness; notes of tangerine, ginger, and mint provide summery bliss with a whisper of juicy mango.

Komasa Sakurajima Komikan Gin

This charming little gin is a release from Komasa Jyozo, a prominent shochu distiller from Kagoshima, known at Umami Mart for Akazaru, Kozuru Kuro, and Migaki shochus. At 49% ABV, this spirit comes hot out of the bottle, but is surprisingly refreshing and juicy on the palate! It uses rice shochu as a base, and is a blend of distillates of each of just three botanicals its made from, including whole komikan, the tiny little Satsuma Mandarin oranges that grow on the side of Kagoshima's majestic (and very active) Mt. Sakurajima volcano. This is supreme Gin Sonic fodder, or great on the rocks as well. 

Kuradashi Gin Sonic Pack Features:

• 1 - Osuzu Gin (700ml, Miyazaki, Japan 45% ALC/VOL)
  
• 1 - Komasa Sakurajima Komikan Gin  (375ml, Kagoshima, Japan 49% ALC/VOL)