Japan’s best-known brand of shiso shochu has branched out, and will be releasing Tantakatan Gin towards the end of November.
Shiso is the Japanese herb you may already be familiar with because of sushi. The plant is a member of the mint family but it’s definitely a very different flavor from mint. Closer to a cilantro, perhaps, than spearmint.
Shochu that includes shiso is a thing! And the big name for shiso shochu is Godo Shusei’s Tantakatan (it’s even linked from the Wikipedia page for shiso).
Tantakatan Gin will feature red shiso from Hokkaido’s Shiranuka, home to the Tantaka neighborhood, from which Tantakatan itself gets its name.
In addition to red shiso, there are five more traditional gin botanicals:
- Coriander seed
- Juniper berry
- Licorice root
- Angelica root
- Orange peel
Godo Shusei is part of the Oenon group, who has recently created a few other “craft” gins that highlight different botanicals across Japan. So as a group, Tantakatan Gin here will be the fourth.
Fans of shiso should check this one out! Amazon JP has it listed for 3294 yen, 700ml, 37% abv, and shipping November 26.
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