Sydney urban distillery Archie Rose have released the Horisumi, Winter gin. The 2nd collaboration with tattoo artist Kian Forreal, who operates under the traditional Japanese tattoo name of Shodai Horisum, has created a bespoke label design that pays homage to Japan’s distinctive seasons.
The inspiration behind the label design embodies the beautiful Japanese season and displays a falcon perched on a pine tree branch and Mount Fuji as the backdrop.
As for the gin inside the bottle, Horisumi-Winter showcases locally grown ingredients including Tasmanian Kombu, Fuji apples, Sencha and Genmaicha to give a Japanese aesthestic and taste profile.
Horisumi Winter gin is grassy and herbaceous, yet slightly sweet. The liquid perfectly complements the colder months, with the tea distillates evoking that universal winter tea drinking experience.
“This collaboration is one inspired by a mutual respect for nature and the hand forged,” says Archie Rose Master Distiller, Dave Withers. “We, therefore, experimented with a wide range of ingredients that included trialling multiple varieties of seaweed distillate including nori, wakame and different types of kombu before settling on a Tasmanian harvested and cured example.”
“Maritime produce is at its best during winter, and the Japanese understand the importance of this seasonal bounty well,” says Withers. “We were keen to bring some of that marine influence into the gin, and kombu offered a salinity which balances the sweetness of the Fuji apples. This juxtaposition of salt and sweet is an essential element of Japanese cuisine and one we have drawn from to enhance both flavours simultaneously.”
Archie Rose Horisumi, Winter Gin is available from Australia’s craft spirits specialist MyBottleShop.