First Impressions
The name tells you precisely where this gin comes from: 135 degrees east longitude, the meridian that defines Japan Standard Time, passing directly through Akashi City in Hyogo Prefecture. Kaikyo Distillery — 'kaikyo' meaning 'strait', after the Akashi Strait nearby — is the same house that produces Hatozaki whisky. Master distiller Kimio Yonezawa created 135 East to echo Japan's Taisho period, when Eastern culture merged with Western for the first time. 'My goal was to create a gin with a strong personality, to echo Japan's openness to the world in the 20s,' he stated.
Tasting
Eight botanicals — three European (juniper, coriander, angelica) and five Japanese (yuzu, sencha tea, shiso leaf, ume, sansho pepper) — each distilled separately to preserve individual character. The Japanese botanicals undergo vacuum distillation, a technique borrowed from the luxury perfume industry, preserving aromatic notes that conventional heat distillation would destroy. The whole is finished with a splash of sake distillate. On the nose, yuzu dominates — citrusy and sharp — with sansho pepper and juniper underneath and green sencha depth. The palate is soft and creamy: bright yuzu gives way to floral ume, grassy shiso, and sweet lemon peel, with sansho pepper building gently. The finish is creamy and clean.
The Bottom Line
135 East earns an 8 for technical ambition matched by genuine drinking pleasure. Vacuum distillation of each botanical separately is not a gimmick — it produces a gin of remarkable clarity where every ingredient remains legible. The sake finish is subtle but inspired, adding a silky quality distinct from any European gin. This shines in a Southside, where mint amplifies the shiso, or a simple G&T with grapefruit. At £35, it offers serious Japanese craft at a fraction of Roku's premium expressions. A gin with strong personality, as Yonezawa intended.
