What a beautiful sight! 

Wandering through the Duty Free shop in Auckland International airport this week, on my way back to the States from and extended visit to New Zealand, I spied this display! Very appropriate, I thought.

No just a display, but a couple of tasting stations, as well!

Naturally, I had to stop and peruse the wares, which are expansive. As it was fairly early in the day, I kept the tasting to a minimum but brought home a lovely bottle of Roku Gin. I definitely was tempted to buy a variety, especially a couple of local gins, but with airline weight restrictions as they are, I opted for just one! My carry-on was already way heavier than it was supposed to be.

Although Roku is not a "small craft distillery" gin, Beam Suntory calls it their "Craft Gin." It has lovely floral notes due to the inclusion of cherry (Sakura) blossoms and the sakura tree leaves, among other botanicals.

From the : "The Japanese craft gin crafted by Japanese artisans with meticulous attention to detail, using six unique Japanese botanicals and eight traditional gin botanicals. The six Japanese botanicals used are—Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Sencha tea, Gyokuro tea, Sansho pepper and Yuzu peel."

The labeling is gorgeous as well, with calligraphy on washi paper, presenting a uniquely  Japanese-style label to complement the hexagonal bottle.

What's next?

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to New Zealand's South Island where the majority of the distilleries are. That will have to wait until my next visit. In the meantime, here in California, I will be checking out the numerous small craft distilleries that are popping up across the state.