From Japan to Tamborine Mountain: The Story Behind Our Yuzu Gin & Vodka
How Gordon's Time in Japan Inspired Yuzucello, Yuzu Gin, Yuzu Vodka — and 25 Yuzu Trees on the Mountain
Some ingredients arrive at a distillery because they're fashionable.
Yuzu arrived at ours because Gordon already knew it.
More than a decade ago, our Head Distiller, Gordon Chalmers, spent time working in Japan, where he became fascinated by the aroma and flavour of yuzu.
Years later, that connection followed him back to Tamborine Mountain.
First came our Yuzucello.
Then we started wondering what yuzu could do in something completely different.
The result was Yuzu Gin and Yuzu Vodka — two spirits built around the same citrus fruit, but designed to let it behave in very different ways.
And today, you'll even find yuzu trees growing beside the distillery.
What Is Yuzu?
Yuzu (Citrus junos) is an East Asian citrus strongly associated with Japanese cuisine and culture.
If you've never tasted it, describing it as simply another lemon or lime doesn't really work.
Its intensely aromatic peel can suggest elements of mandarin, grapefruit and other citrus, but yuzu has a fragrance that is very much its own.
And unlike the citrus fruits most Australians buy primarily for their juice, much of yuzu's appeal lies in that remarkably fragrant rind.
That's particularly interesting to a distiller.
Gordon's Yuzu Story Started in Japan
Our relationship with yuzu didn't begin with the Gin or Vodka.
It started with Gordon's time in Japan.
The fruit stayed in his memory long after he returned, particularly its distinctive aroma. Eventually, that fascination found its way into the distillery through our Yuzucello.
Yuzucello gave us the opportunity to explore yuzu as a liqueur.
But it also raised another question:
What happens when you give yuzu a different spirit to work with?
That's where Yuzu Gin and Yuzu Vodka came in.
Yuzu Gin: Citrus Meets Botanicals
Gin already gives citrus plenty of company.
Juniper, spice and other botanicals provide a framework around the yuzu, rather than leaving the fruit completely on its own.
Our Yuzu Gin is citrus-forward, with yuzu's aromatic character sitting alongside a delicate juniper backbone, subtle floral notes and spice.
It's particularly good in a simple Gin & Tonic, where there isn't too much competing with the yuzu.
Or use it in a Gin Fizz and let fresh citrus reinforce what's already in the spirit
Yuzu Vodka: Giving the Citrus More Space
Our Yuzu Vodka approaches the same fruit from another direction.
Without gin's juniper-led botanical profile, the vodka provides a cleaner background for yuzu to stand against.
That makes the two spirits interesting to taste side by side.
Yuzu Gin gives you yuzu interacting with botanicals.
Yuzu Vodka gives the citrus more room to lead.
If you want to understand what yuzu contributes to a spirit, comparing the two is probably more useful than any tasting description we could write.
Then We Planted Yuzu on Tamborine Mountain
Our interest in the fruit eventually moved outside the distillery.
We planted 58 citrus trees on our property, including 25 yuzu trees.
For us, growing yuzu isn't about claiming that our small orchard can suddenly supply every piece of fruit we need.
It's about developing a closer relationship with an ingredient we already use.
We get to watch the trees establish themselves.
See how they respond to conditions on Tamborine Mountain.
Watch them flower and fruit.
And, as the orchard develops, bring some of that fruit the short distance from the trees into the distillery.
It's a long way from Gordon first encountering yuzu in Japan.
And perhaps that's what makes seeing those 25 trees growing here particularly satisfying.
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Four Ways We Use Yuzu in Cocktails
Yuzu's citrus character makes it easy to pair with other ingredients, but these four cocktails show how differently the Gin and Vodka can behave.
Yuzu Storm
Built around Yuzu Gin, with citrus, spice and a frothy finish. It's a good place to start if you want the aromatic side of the gin to remain prominent.
Basil Blush
Fresh basil brings a herbal counterpoint to Yuzu Gin, with lemon and sugar balancing the drink. Yuzu and basil make this noticeably different from a standard citrus gin cocktail.
Mountain Mule
Here, Yuzu Vodka meets Yuzucello and ginger beer, bringing two expressions of yuzu into the same drink before ginger adds spice.
It's perhaps the clearest demonstration of just how comfortably yuzu works with ginger.
Yuzu Splice
A citrus-led martini combining Yuzu Vodka with Lemon & Lime Cello.
Clean, bright and deliberately citrus-forward, it's the choice for anyone who doesn't think there's such a thing as too much citrus.
► EXPLORE THE YUZU COCKTAIL RECIPES
From One Fruit to Three Bottles
Yuzucello. Yuzu Gin. Yuzu Vodka.
Three bottles built around the same fruit, each showing a different side of it.
And outside, 25 young yuzu trees are writing the next part of the story.
What began with Gordon encountering an unfamiliar citrus while working in Japan has become an ingredient we're now growing and exploring here on Tamborine Mountain.
That's the part of yuzu that interests us most.
Not simply what it tastes like, but how much more there is to discover about it.
► DISCOVER OUR YUZU COLLECTION
Frequently Asked Questions
What does yuzu taste like?
Yuzu has an intensely aromatic citrus character that can suggest elements of mandarin, grapefruit and other citrus fruits, with a distinctive fragrance of its own. Its aromatic peel is one of the reasons yuzu is so interesting to use in spirits and liqueurs.
What is the difference between Yuzu Gin and Yuzu Vodka?
Our Yuzu Gin combines yuzu with juniper and other botanical characteristics, giving the citrus a more layered botanical background. Yuzu Vodka provides a cleaner base that gives the yuzu more room to lead. Tasting the two side by side is a great way to experience the difference.
Does Tamborine Mountain Distillery grow yuzu?
Yes. We've planted 25 yuzu trees as part of our 58-tree citrus orchard beside the distillery on Tamborine Mountain. As the young orchard develops, it gives us an opportunity to work more closely with an ingredient that has already become an important part of our range.
How do you drink yuzu spirits?
Keep it simple to start. Try Yuzu Gin with tonic or Yuzu Vodka with soda so you can experience the citrus character without too many competing flavours. Yuzu also pairs particularly well with ginger, fresh herbs and other citrus flavours in cocktails.
