Roku Select Edition

Still Magic

Episode 21 - Heritage | Guardianship | Legacy

Welcome to the Still Magic podcast, your one-click audio stop for all things gin. Be it gin making, gin producing, gin distilling, gin manufacturing, gin commercialising, gin tasting, gin drinking, gin steeping, and everything else in between.

Here is a random question for the Still Magic podcast.

What is the perfect number between 1 and 10?

If you said the number 6, you would be correct

It’s a number that appears in areas as diverse as sport, nature and cult TV

For example,

• A standard guitar has six strings
• An over in most forms of outdoor cricket comprises a set of 6 legal deliveries
• The minimum number of games required to win a set in tennis is 6
• A musical octave has 6 whole tones
• Players change ends during a tennis tie-breaker after they complete 6 points
• There are 6 players per team on the rink in an ice hockey match
• A touchdown in the National Football League is worth 6 points
• There are 6 colours in the RGB colour wheel (3 primary, 3 secondary)
• A goal in the Australian Football League is worth 6 points
• Dice have 6 faces, with 6 as the highest value
• The honeycomb structure used by bees has cross-section with 6 sides
• Insects have 6 legs

And in the cult TV program, The Prisoner, the main character – played by Patrick McGoohan – was stripped of his name, and merely referred to as… Number 6

And today the perfect number 6 makes a truly spectacular appearance.

We need to visit the Land of the Rising Sun. Here, where we’ll find ourselves in Osaka, at the headquarters of a company comprising the merger of two iconic whiskey makers; Jim Beam and Suntory

Suntory has a long gin history releasing Hermes in 1936; their first gin product

The kaizen tradition of continuous improvement has punctuated their efforts during the intervening years.

The Suntory team developed a simple concept; to create a Japanese craft gin that would be welcome to consumers worldwide.

The unique product point captures the essence of the Four Seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter.

The word shun is a simple concept that refers to Peak Seasonality

Shun commands high value, driving the need for selecting and harvesting botanicals that are at their best for the peak season.

Sakura begin to bloom in late January, with the cherry blossom front moving north through each of the islands until April. This ornamental cherry is the spirit of Japan.

The delicate blossoms represent renewal and the brilliant nature of life.

The foundation botanicals are as follows; illustrating a classic example of the 3Bs described in my book Still Magic A Gin Distillers Guide for Beginners; the base is familiar yet nuanced

• juniper,
• coriander seed,
• angelica root & angelica seed,
• cardamom,
• cinnamon,
• bitter orange peel
• lemon peel

The Suntory team chose six botanicals, each of which is harvested in each of the four seasons; this is the shin concept writ large

• Sakura flowers,
• Sakura leaf,
• Sencha tea,
• Gyokuro tea,
• Sansho pepper, and Yuzu, the quintessentially Japanese citrus fruit

To quote Koji Hirashama, the Global Strategy Brand Manager, for Suntory Spirits

“The fact that it's well balanced, I think that's a great gift from nature… “

With a strong base in play and a remarkable collection of botanicals, Roku demonstrates a wonderful union of east and west; a truly great gin

Today, is the perfect day for the Number 6.

Be bold. Enjoy yourself. Let’s create a new gin narrative.

Still Magic paperback, digital and audio copies available from your favourite online stores

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Magic-distillers-guide-beginners-ebook/dp/B07QZ4VFRV/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=still+magic&qid=1596545333&sr=8-1

Host: Marcel Thompson @stillmagicway

Guest contributors: @nisholay, @antipodeanharpie

Editor: @alexiepigot,

alexiepigot.com

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