Kaigan Gin is distilled from grain and features a single botanical nod to Japan— Yuzu peel. It is a store brand, designed and produced for Total Wine. While I won’t unpack it here in detail (as others have, in more detail and deserve credit), there doesn’t seem to be a Kaigan Distillery. Kaigan Gin states that it is a product of Japan; however, some of the other details around its true source are opaque.
While I don’t love that— I will judge the liquid in the glass as it is.
Tasting notes
Aroma: Bright and powdery nose. Citrus forward, it has lots of green yuzu, a touch of banana leaf, hints of rose petals and a mysterious floral kissed aroma of fresh laundry. Powdery and unusual, Kaigan Gin is attention grabbing.
Flavor: Early a lot of flavor. Bursts with Seville orange, some tart yuzu, bitter citrus zest. Mid-palate some slight spice notes accompany an almost medicinal note. Juniper forms a solid, if somewhat flat backdrop. Slightly more herbaceous and green than piney.
Finish: Somewhat warm, with the botanicals trailing off somewhat sharply. Hints of bitter orange rind and slightly terpey, juniper with a slight medicinal and plastic notes.
Cocktails and suggested serves
Kaigan Gin has some rough edges, but that doesn’t deter from the intended purpose for a gin at this price point— mixing.
Try Kaigan Gin alongside some bolder mixing ingredients— Elderflower tonic for example. That will help lift some of the citrus notes out of here, while mitigating some of the medicinal touches.
Overall, Kaigan Gin
In a world with high quality gins, like Costco’s store brand for example, it’s hard to recommend Kaigan even at this price point. The flat presentation of citrus, lacking vibrancy and having a lot more bitterness/pithy qualities— and the plastic, medicinal and fresh laundry notes leave a bit to be desired.
At this price point I expect solid mixability. I’m not sure Kaigan Gin delivers that without a bold co-star of a mixer.
Total Wine has a lot of winners, even among its house brands. Sadly, this one is not among them.