The dawn of Japanese craft gin.
'Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin'!
<Part 1>

On 14 October 2016, Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, a craft gin from Japan's first gin-specialised distillery, was finally released.We caught up with its makers, Alex Davis and Yoichi Motoki, to find out more!

writer：Drink Planet

Opening photo / Alex Davis on the left and Yoichi Motoki on the right.Above / Exterior view of the Kyoto distillery.

Kisshoin, Minami-ku, Kyoto.

The area, a 15-20 minute drive south of JR Kyoto Station, is not typical of Kyoto, but rather an area of warehouses, factories and ordinary houses.

The KyotoDistillery, which produces Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, is located in a corner of this area.

If it wasn't for the logo on the wall, no one would know that this is a distillery.

(As if it were SpeakEasy!)

Distiller Yoichi Motoki told us he was "ready to move to Kyoto and bury my bones in Kyoto."

In fact, it used to be a warehouse (laughs).

This was explained by the distillery's distiller, Yoichi Motoki.

He and the head distiller, Englishman Alex Davis, are in charge of almost everything at the distillery.

As Drink Planet readers may know, Motoki-san comes from a bartending background in Ginza.

He spent two years in whisky production at the Arran distillery in Scotland, and then worked as an event director at liquor importer Whisk-E Ltd, where he worked to promote craft spirits and craft beer.

After many years of working in the Western liquor industry, I had a desire to get back into production.And not just whisky, but craft gin, which is starting to gain momentum.I was just thinking about that when I heard about the Kyoto distillery.

Thus, in December 2015, Motoki-san was appointed as a distiller at the Kyoto distillery.

Head distiller Alex Davis at work in the lab room.

Head Distiller Davis, on the other hand, was born and raised in the UK.

He studied biochemistry at the prestigious University of Nottingham and brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, before working as a distiller at Chase Distillery.

He then moved to the Cotswolds distillery, which opened in 2014, as head distiller, where he created Cotswold Gin, one of the leading new craft gins.

(Incidentally, Cotswold Gin won Best London Dry Gin at the World Gin Awards and Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition!)

Whisk-E was the importer of Cotswold Gin in Japan and was invited to be the head distiller of the Kyoto distillery.

Davis is still in his late twenties, but he is an up-and-coming distiller who is attracting a lot of attention in the distilling industry.

I'm always excited by new challenges," he says.I also really like the city of Kyoto.It has history, mystery, plenty of nature and an abundance of good bars and restaurants.There are so many good places to eat that I have eaten the most since I came to Kyoto in the history of my life (laughs)", says Davis.

The young distiller seems to be having a busy but fulfilling time here in Kyoto.

The Ki no Bi bottle is screen-printed with karakami paper patterns and represents the four seasons of Japan.

So, why did they choose Kyoto as the location for their craft gin distillery in Japan?

David Kroll, CEO of Whisk-E and head of the Kyoto distillery, answers this question.

There are three main reasons, he said.

'One is a personal reason.You could say it's selfish of me (laughs).I've been fascinated by Kyoto ever since I first visited the city in 1985.So if I was going to start a new gin distillery, I simply wanted to do it in Kyoto.

"The second reason is cultural.Kyoto is a city of artisans and an understanding of craftsmanship.For our small-batch craft gin, a city like Kyoto seemed like the right place.

"Thirdly, there are practical and business reasons.Thirdly, for practical and business reasons. There are many factors in Kyoto that are essential for our gin, such as botanicals like yuzu and gyokuro, which are the raw materials for Ki no Bi, the water from Fushimi, and the karakami used for the bottle packaging.

The location chosen was the aforementioned Kichijoin in Minami Ward.The site chosen was the aforementioned Kichijoin in Minami Ward, but the distillery was actually built in the heart of Kyoto.

However, Kyoto is a World Heritage city with many wooden buildings.

Even though the distillery produces small quantities, it is said that it was not approved to handle hazardous substances.

David Kroll, representative, left, and Masami Onishi, quality design manager, right.

Currently, Alex Davis and Yoichi Motoki are the only two people involved in the production of Ki no Bi at the Kyoto Distillery.

They plan to produce 90,000 bottles a year (30,000 bottles in 2016).

In the development process, Masami Onishi, a Western-style sake researcher who has worked as a manager at leading Japanese distilleries, participated in the design and development of the quality of the product.

Of course, he also actively incorporated the opinions of CEO David Kroll and experts in various fields.

Head distiller Davis told us about the style of Ki no Bi.

Our aim was to create a gin that embodies the aroma and flavour of Kyoto!"

In the second part, we'll take a closer look at how it's actually made.

Continue to Part 2.