Matsui The Hakuto Premium Gin
Matsui The Hakuto Premium Gin is Kurayoshi Distillery's flagship gin at full strength — a 47% ABV (94 proof) Japanese gin in a 700mL bottle. Where the standard Hakuto runs 40% with 9 botanicals, the Premium adds five premium botanicals for 14 total — juniper, coriander, orange and yuzu peels, sansho pepper, gyokuro green tea, sakura, black pepper, and Tottori's signature nashi pear as the lead botanical — finished with spring water filtered through volcanic stone from Mt. Daisen. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 47% ABV (94 proof) — 700mL
- Botanicals: 14 (9 base + 5 premium), led by Tottori nashi pear
- Origin: Kurayoshi Distillery (Matsui Shuzo), Tottori, Japan — est. 1910
- Water: spring water filtered through Mt. Daisen volcanic stone
- Name: Hakuto = "white rabbit," from the legend of Inaba
The White Rabbit of Inaba
Hakuto — "white rabbit" — comes from one of Japan's oldest legends: the White Rabbit of Inaba, a tale from Tottori Prefecture where the Matsui distillery has operated since 1910. The Premium gin is the distillery showing off: the same 9-botanical base as the standard Hakuto, elevated with five premium additions and bottled at 47%, with the local nashi pear — Tottori's most famous fruit — leading the botanical bill. Shop more gin or browse everything from Matsui at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Bright and aromatic: juniper and citrus up front, the nashi pear giving a crisp orchard-fruit sweetness, with green tea, sakura, and a flicker of sansho pepper spice on the finish.
How to Enjoy
A Japanese G&T with a premium tonic and a twist of yuzu or lemon peel — or a dry martini where the 47% ABV and the pear note both shine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference from regular Hakuto Gin?
Five extra premium botanicals (14 total vs 9) and a higher bottling strength — 47% vs 40%.
What does Hakuto mean?
"White rabbit" — from the legend of the White Rabbit of Inaba, set in the distillery's home prefecture of Tottori.
Where is it made?
At the Kurayoshi Distillery in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, operating since 1910.
Japan's white rabbit, at full strength — order Matsui Hakuto Premium Gin at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.