Quality & Craftsmanship

ROKU means ‘six’ in Japanese, and the gin owes its distinctive flavor to six Japanese botanicals cultivated over four seasons: Sakura flower, Sakura leaf, Yuzu peel, Sencha tea (green tea), Gyokuro tea (refined green tea) and Sansh? pepper.

In accordance with the Japanese tradition of shun, each botanical is harvested at the peak of its season to extract the best flavor. Each is then distilled separately to maintain its individual characteristics. For instance, the delicate scent of the Sakura flower is drawn out through vacuum distillation in stainless pot stills, whereas the deep flavor of Yuzu is achieved by distillation in copper pot stills.

Together with eight more traditional botanicals, the carefully crafted botanical extracts are blended by Japanese artisans to achieve ROKU’s complex, yet harmonious flavor.

As a final flourish, ROKU is presented in a hexagonal bottle with the six Japanese botanicals embossed on each if its six sides. The label is made of traditional washi paper and adorned with the Japanese kanji for ‘six’ in bold calligraphic strokes as a tribute to the Japanese values of craftsmanship that are distilled into every drop of ROKU.

People felt less oiliness when they ate salami after drinking oolong tea. They also felt less oiliness when they drank oolong tea after eating salami, compared to when they drank the bitter drink.

The results of the sensory evaluation were clear. In this research, most people prefer a beverage with more of a bite when they eat fatty or oily food. This is one reason why oolong tea and dishes with high fat content go perfectly together.

True to our commitment to delight customers, we use scientific approaches to find the reason behind food-beverage pairings, and work to produce beverages that go perfectly with certain types of food. The results of our research will be promoted through our high-quality products, so that people can enjoy their dining experience more.

Coffee tends to taste better with riper beans. In a collaborative project with Dr. Hiroyuki Wariishi at the Kyushu University Faculty of Arts and Science, we adapted an innovative method that allowed us to analyze over a thousand metabolites in raw coffee beans at different levels of ripeness. They found that there were higher levels of tryptophan (an amino acid) in less ripe coffee beans. Tryptophan causes the unpleasant odor in low-quality coffee, and has a negative effect on the flavor of brewed coffee. The study also identified another component (3-Methylbutanoyl Glycosides) in raw coffee beans that make the coffee taste better.

The results of the study allow Suntory to develop a technique for identifying high-quality beans while they are still raw. It also helps us develop products that take advantage of certain coffee beans. Suntory will continue to research into coffee beans, with the goal of creating the highest-quality coffee.

We always strive to improve upon our existing research and technology. Through these efforts, Suntory aims to create more innovation and enrich our consumers' lives.

The finest ingredients and the ideal manufacturing method are critical to crafting the ideal beer. The Premium Malt's is made with carefully selected hops and malts, using a method called "double decoction," where mash is heated twice to ensure the malts' rich umami and flavor. Hops are typically boiled just once, but for The Premium Malt's, aroma and fine aroma hops are added individually to create its unique aroma. We call this technique "aroma rich hopping."

Our brewers visit the individual farms that prune the hops, conduct sensory evaluations, and select only the cones that are most suited for The Premium Malt's. And because water makes up 90% of beer, The Premium Malt's is made from quality groundwater.

Behind every satisfying sip of our beers is the perseverance, ingenuity, and passion of our Suntory brewers.