Japan inspires top end Diageo gin

Diageo Reserve has added a new gin to its super-premium portfolio, following the success of a Japanese-themed creation in the company’s “Show Your Spirit” competition.

Called Jinzu after a Japanese river lined with cherry trees, which are also depicted on its bottle, the 41.3% abv product is described as a “British gin with a Japanese twist”.

It incorporates Japanese botanicals such as yuzu and cherry blossom alongside more classic flavours including juniper, coriander and angelica, before the result is blended with high quality Junmai sake to create a “distinctly smooth sake finish.”

Show Your Spirit launched last year, challenging bartenders to devise their “dream liquid”, with Diageo committing to bring the winning idea to market.

After whittling down entries to a final four, who were invited on a “bootcamp” to refine their product and its presentation, Diageo named 24-year-old Bristol bartender Dee Davies and her Jinzu invention as the winner.

“We are very pleased to see Jinzu launching to market”, commented Nick Temperley, head of Diageo Reserve GB. “The intention of the Show Your Spirit competition was to create a product for bartenders, by a bartender. We hugely value their unrivalled expertise and significance within our industry and feel that who better to inform our brands than those that work with them the most.”

Jinzu now sits alongside the group’s super-premium Tanqueray No. Ten brand and is targeting “gin and cocktail enthusiasts seeking an innovative twist to their gin experience”.

In keeping with the competition’s original aim of connecting with and supporting the bar industry, Diageo has pledged to donate a 5% share of Jinzu profits to a “Bartenders’ Fund”. This will be managed by a committee of bartenders, who will decide how to spend the proceeds.