Jinzu Gin

Gin puts on an Asian outfit.

Jinzu is a side project made by Diageo’s Cameronbridge Distillery Outside Edinburgh. But it was created by professional bartender Dee Davis who entered Diageo’s “Show Your Spirit” competition in 2013, and Jinzu was her winning entry. And the judges liked it so much that Diageo decided to make it a real product. Dee travelled to Diageo’s World Innovation center and worked with Tanqueray master distiller Tom Nichol to perfect the production.

Jinzu sounds like a new oriental martial art. It also sounds like a Japanese pronunciation of the “Gin.” But Jinzu the spirit is a combination of grain-based Gin and Japanese Sake steeped with traditional Gin botanicals and a few Asian additions — including cherry blossom and yuzu (an east Asian citrus fruit). The net result is something that feels like Gin, but with a creamy sweetness that makes it pleasantly different at the same time.