Roku Gin
Osaka, Japan
Suntory's fourteen-botanical gin, six of them Japanese. The tea and cherry botanicals sound heavy but distillation leaves the tannins behind.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- juniper, coriander, angelica, cardamom, cinnamon, bitter orange peel, lemon peel, sakura flower, sakura leaf, sencha tea, gyokuro tea, sansho pepper, yuzu peel
- Congeners
- Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 105
- Sugar
- 0g
15.1g ethanol at 43% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓No added sugar
- ✓Tea botanicals contribute aroma without tannin
What to watch
- !43% ABV puts it near the top of the category for calories
Factor by factor
Congeners Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Very Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Very Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Roku takes its name from the six Japanese botanicals layered over eight conventional ones: sakura flower and leaf, sencha and gyokuro tea, sansho pepper and yuzu peel. The tea is the part that raises eyebrows on a chemistry page, since tea is a tannin source and tannins are one of the factors this site tracks.
They do not carry over. Tannins are large, non-volatile molecules; they stay in the still. What reaches the bottle is the aromatic fraction, which is why Roku tastes of green tea and yuzu but scores the same very-low tannin mark as any other dry gin. The real variable on this one is strength. At 43% it is one of the higher-proof mainstream gins, and proof is what actually drives the calorie count.
Roku Gin questions
How many calories are in a shot of Roku Gin? ▾
About 105 calories in a 1.5oz shot at 43% ABV. All of them come from the alcohol, since there is no sugar.
Does Roku Gin have sugar? ▾
No. Roku Gin has 0g of sugar per 1.5oz serving.
Is Roku Gin gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Roku Gin is distilled from a gluten-containing grain, so US rules bar it from claiming gluten-free. Distillation does remove the gluten protein, and the Celiac Disease Foundation considers distilled spirits safe for most coeliacs. If you would rather avoid the question, pick a spirit distilled from corn, potato, grape or agave.
What proof is Roku Gin? ▾
Roku Gin is 86 proof, which is 43% alcohol by volume.
Does Roku Gin give you a bad hangover? ▾
Roku Gin scores 3/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 3/10 for gin overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.
Is Roku Gin vegan? ▾
Yes. Roku Gin is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.