In this video, I put two Japanese gins head-to-head: Roku Gin vs Kinobi (Kyoto Dry Gin). For my tasting, I kept it simple and did them neat—normally I’ll do gin neat, shaken, or on the rocks, but this time it’s a straight taste test so you can really see how they compare without mixers getting in the way. Roku is the “well-known favorite around the world”, and honestly it smells like classic gin—gentle, clean, and familiar. On the palate, the initial sip is smooth, then you get a burn going down. It’s not uncomfortable, but the profile felt like a lot of other gins to me, with a little floral note but nothing too spectacular. Kinobi surprised me more. The aroma isn’t as strong, but the drinking experience was different: the burn hit mostly at the tip of my tongue and lightly up into the nose, but it stayed minimal. Flavor-wise, I picked up citrus—specifically orange—and it even reminded me of that Okinawa orange chip vibe. In the end, if I’m choosing between these two Japanese gins from this neat tasting, I’m picking Kinobi.