Over the last 10 years Japanese whiskey has surged in popularity and now distillers are turning their attentions to gin, in order to create premium Japanese spirits for a wider audience, and it is working. Two years ago we imported Roku Gin from Japan for TheGinBox.ie when it was not so well known.

Just last year we brought you 135 East Gin from Japan which was really well received and Mankai is the latest Japanese Gin, imported exclusively for you this month!

Mankai is distilled at the Akita Distillery, in the Akita province of Japan on the island of Honshu. The Akita province is located on the coast of Japan and it extends east to the Ou Mountains, the longest mountain range in Japan.

Mankai means ‘Full Bloom’. A poetic and iconic moment across all of Japan, when the trees and flowers blossom and the whole of Japan becomes transformed. This is a gin to celebrate Autumn.

We tried Mankai with lemon and rosemary, though the distillery advise that you could add blueberries and/or figs as well (they even sent us an image below!). A classic tonic is all that is required here, to allow the classic Japanese Yuzu and Matcha flavours come through.

This one is delicious. We’ve included some Japanese snacks that you might try if you were enjoying a Mankai gin in a local hostelry on Honshu island, but it must be said, unfortunately we did not get the do the research ourselves on this!