Knut Hansen Yorokobi

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 44% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Japanese influence on the Yorokobi Edition 2024 begins with its base spirit: this dry gin uses neutral alcohol made from rice. The recipe was developed during the KNUT HANSEN team's trip to Japan in collaboration with Nozawa Onsen Distillery. Its name means joy in Japanese. The selected ingredients include matcha and green tea from Kyoto, wasabi from the Nozawa region and Goya cucumber from Okinawa. Other ingredients include sakura blossoms, umeboshi, mango and papaya.

Before distillation, the selected botanicals were steeped in a mixture of alcohol and water for at least 24 hours. The main botanicals were distilled individually to bring out their respective aromas. The edition's flavour combines gentle sweetness with tea, blossom and citrus fruit. Sakura contributes a delicate floral note, while pickled umeboshi plums add fruity, sweet-and-sour accents. Goya cucumber, also known as bitter melon, and matcha complement these with slightly bitter notes and dry, earthy impressions respectively.

The design also draws on the journey. David Stiller created the bottle artwork, with Shisa lions on the front and torii gates, rice terraces and a basket of botanicals on the back. These lion-like guardian figures from Okinawa symbolise protection and good fortune. A medallion is set by hand into the cork's wooden top, with a temple on one side and the partner distillery's logo on the other. The edition comprises 4,000 bottles, each containing 0.5 litres of gin at 44% alcohol.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, the gin is remarkably fresh and clean. Bright, green notes of Goya cucumber lead at first, with juniper emerging behind them.
• Palate: On the palate, distinct juniper appears first before pronounced spice takes over. The cucumber note is refreshing and slightly grassy, while wasabi contributes a green pungency. A creamy spiciness coats the palate.
• Finish: Wasabi's pungency gives the finish a spicy, fresh aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hamburg Distilling Company HDC GmbH is the company behind KNUT HANSEN. Founders Kaspar Hagedorn and Martin Spieker began experimenting with a tabletop still in Martin's living room in 2016. Their first bottling followed in 2017 at Dolleruper Destille. In 2019, they brought production into their own premises in Hamburg's Meistermeile with an Arnold Holstein still. Since 2021, the distillery has been based in Hamburg Hamm.

For the Yorokobi Edition, the team collaborated with Nozawa Onsen Distillery in the Japanese Alps. There, the botanicals collected during the trip were assessed together with master distiller Sam, and the recipe was developed through trial distillation and subsequent adjustments. The collaboration thus brings together not only Japanese ingredients and the Hamburg brand, but also both teams' experience in gin distillation.

Facts: