Rosebery distillery Archie Rose has collaborated with tattoo artist Horisumi to create ‘”Horisumi – Spring”, a citric and floral limited edition gin.

Horisumi – Spring’s release is timely with the short season of Japanese cherry blossoms, or ‘sakura’ upon us as we enter the first week of spring. Following the seasonal theme of the two previous collaborations between Horisumi and Archie Rose, this subtle yet citrus gin was inspired by Horisumi’s intricately vivid label artwork which depicts bright cherry blossoms and a Japanese hare or ‘usagi’.

“We laboured through countless iterations and slightly adjusted distillation techniques to achieve a balanced result. Horisumi – Spring is a lively expression, markedly different from the two distinct expressions that came before it,” says Master Distiller, Dave Withers.

Horisumi – Spring gives ascension to the white muskiness of chrysanthemum, the herbaceous and citric tones of the Australian hand-picked Yuzu leaf and supple sweetness of red shiso. The result is a celebration of the spirit and atmosphere of Japan’s most fragrantly beautiful season. Horisumi’s Winter and Autumn collaborations have equally impressed gin-lovers with unique distillations and vivid artworks emblazoned across Archie Rose’s corked bottles.

Horisumi’s intricate label artwork inspired the limited edition gin. Image: Supplied

“The production team tested a large range of different botanicals,” says Withers. “The Yuzu leaf was handpicked in Australian orchards specifically for this gin and the red shiso was imported direct from a Japanese grower.”

Hirosumi – Spring begins as a sweet spirit on the palate and builds in intensity as the unique floral notes expand. Archie Rose highly recommends pairing Hirosumi – Spring with Fentimans Light Tonic alongside fresh rockmelon or mandarin. In cocktails, Hirosumi – Spring can be mixed with elderflower liqeur, yuzushu, lime and apple juice.

“This collaboration with Horisumi has been a wonderful example of the ability to experiment with gin,” says Founder, Will Edwards.

“It’s provided our team with an interesting challenge, whereby the artwork leads the spirit development and flavour profile, as opposed to the other way around. This has led to a really vibrant Spring release, and we’re looking forward to exploring the inspiration for Summer.”

Horisumi – Spring is available at Archie Rose Distilling Co. and online archierose.com.au
RRP: $99