FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 47 OF 80
JUJU JAPANESE CRAFT GIN, Kagoshima, Japan
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
When I picked up these bottles of Juju Japanese Craft Gin I had never seen them before, but a quick Google and they seemed to be OK – different to the London Drys we are accustomed to, but I took a punt on them, despite the name!
I'm sure you've heard the term in a totally different context, referring to bad vibes, and we all know that around the time of the gin craze, gin was really bad juju! However, in Japan, juju (授受) means “to give and receive” or “exchange”, which seems rather appropriate for a drink that brings together Japanese shochu and the botanicals we associate with gin.
J
uju is made by Hamada Syuzou in Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture. They are traditional shochu distillers, founded in 1868, so they have more than 150 years of history behind them. They entered the Japanese craft gin scene in 2018 with Juju, using their own rice shochu as the spirit base.
I've a lot to learn about sake or shochu but I understand that sake is brewed and shochu is distilled, and this makes a huge difference to the way they are made and the final strength. Sake is generally around 15% ABV, while shochu is commonly bottled around 20–25% ABV, although the strength varies depending on the type and how it is made. Honkaku shochu is traditionally distilled once, rather than being repeatedly redistilled to produce a neutral spirit.
Shochu is usually drunk neat, on the rocks, with water or soda, and in winter it can even be enjoyed with hot water. Bartenders have also found that its distinctive flavours work really well in cocktails, which is one of the reasons it makes such an interesting base for gin.
Kagoshima is closely associated with shochu and is home to a huge number of shochu producers. The region also has plenty of sweet potato and sugar cane farming, although shochu can be made from a much wider range of ingredients, including rice, barley and buckwheat. For the rice shochu used in Juju, rice is fermented with koji and yeast before being distilled. Other styles of shochu use their own main ingredient, such as sweet potato or barley, alongside the koji fermentation.
The shochu base makes this gin unique and it is made with seven botanicals, including yuzu, juniper, chamomile, orange peel, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon. It is bottled at 38% ABV, while the Juju Plum Blossom is bottled at 40%.
Given the base spirit, they recommend serving the gin with soda rather than tonic. In fact, Juju was also sold in Japan as a sparkling gin serve. The Plum Blossom, of course, focuses heavily on sweet and fruity plum flavours and is perfect on the rocks or in cocktails. I've always drunk plum wine with soda water, so things are starting to make sense for me!
Hamada Syuzou operates three shochu distilleries in the city, with its Denbeegura, Denzouingura and Kinzangura sites representing different parts of its traditional and modern approach to shochu making.
And then there is Kagoshima itself.
Kagoshima is a seaside city on Kyushu Island with a beautiful backdrop of Sakurajima. This active volcano sits in Kagoshima Bay and is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. In 1914 there was a huge eruption, and the resulting lava flows connected Sakurajima to the Osumi Peninsula, turning what had been an island into a peninsula. The volcano has remained active ever since, with frequent smaller eruptions, so it is very closely monitored.
The volcanic soils have also helped create some rather unusual local produce. Sakurajima is famous for Sakurajima komikan, often described as the world's smallest mandarin, and Sakurajima daikon, famous for producing some of the world's largest radishes. So you've got the smallest satsumas and the biggest radishes sitting practically underneath an active volcano!
Kagoshima also has its own very distinctive dialect, which is famously difficult for people from elsewhere in Japan to understand, and it was home to Saigō Takamori, the historical figure commonly known as the “Last Samurai”. He led the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 and has become one of Kagoshima's most famous historical figures. He was also the inspiration for Katsumoto, the character played by Ken Watanabe in the 2003 film The Last Samurai.
And finally, a last fun fact –
Kagoshima-Chūō Station is the southernmost Shinkansen station in Japan, so you really can get a bullet train all the way down to Kagoshima.
And actually, having gone into this one wondering what on earth I'd bought, I think the unusual choice of spirit base is exactly what makes Juju worth trying.
“A Japanese gin with a shochu base, a slightly unusual name and a rather good reason to reach for the soda water.”
JUJU PLUM SOUR
Although this uses a shochu based gin, you can use any other plum gin liqueur you have - just add/adjust the sugar balance with some sugar syrup - I didn't feel the need to use any in mine, but that's a personal choice, as I prefer less sweet cocktails!
The measurements are for a small glass, but double up if you are going tall!
25ml Plum Gin or Gin Liqueur
5ml Campari (this mainly gives colour, but also depth to the cocktail)
10ml lime juice
Foamer or egg white. Dry and wet shake.
Top with soda water
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."