The dawn of Japanese craft gin.
'Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin'!
<Part 2>

Alex Davis and Yoichi Motoki: what goes into making Ki no Bi?　We visited the Kyoto distillery and asked them a number of questions!

writer：Drink Planet

Interior view of the compact and clean Kyoto distillery.

The Kyoto Distillery, located in Kisshoin, Minami-ku, Kyoto, does not currently accept public tours.

In fact, visits by industry insiders and media coverage are also limited.

This is because Alex Davis, head distiller, and Yoichi Motoki, distiller, are the only two people who make Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, so they don't have time to do much else.

This time, after the release of Ki no Bi, we were able to take advantage of the precious time they had to show us around the Kyoto distillery!

Illustration showing the production process of Seasonal Beauty.

Mr Motoki began by explaining.

We don't think of small scale as craft.We think 'craft' means making exactly what you want to make and what you want to express.Therefore, even if the distillery is small, it is an absolute requirement that the product is reproducible and can be supplied in a stable manner.

It is probably true that there is a misconception that craft means the quality of craft (handmade), even if the taste is different from one distillery to another.

However, as a professional distiller, Kyoto Distillery is not aiming for that kind of accidental interest.

The site area is about 80 tsubo.

The building, which was originally a warehouse, has high ceilings and was only put into operation in August 2016, so the pot stills and tanks are brand new and very clean.

The large stainless steel tanks are stocked with rice spirits made from rice, the base of Ki no Bi.

The company sources high quality rice spirits, which are also used in sake brewing.

(If they brewed their own, they would need three times the space they have now!)

We tried grains, corn and other cereals used in ordinary gin, as well as molasses spirits, but for a gin that is uniquely Kyoto, the familiarity of rice spirits was the most appealing thing.The problem is that it is expensive - twice as expensive as cereals and three times as expensive as molasses."

Copper pot stills from Karl, Germany; two 140 l and two 450 l units.

The most important feature in the production of Ki no Bi is the unique distillation and blending technique known as the 'Miyabi' process.

Ordinary gin is distilled from several botanicals at once, including neutral spirits and juniper berries.

At the Kyoto distillery, however, the 11 botanicals are divided into six categories, each of which is distilled and then blended to create the finished product.

Yuzu has the best timing for yuzu, gyokuro has the best timing for gyokuro.Therefore, in order to extract the best of each botanical, we distil them in six different categories, but with six times the time and effort.However, it is also six times more work. ...... (laughs)"

The six categories, by the way, are as follows.

Base: juniper berry, orris, cypress
[Citrus: yuzu, lemon
[Tea: gyokuro
[Spice: ginger
Fruity & Floral]: red shiso, bamboo grass leaves
[Herbal]: sansho (Japanese pepper), tree buds

All botanicals used in the base, except juniper berries (from Macedonia) and orris, are made in Japan, especially in Kyoto.For example, the key botanicals are from Kyoto.

For example, the key botanical, yuzu, is mainly made from yuzu grown without pesticides at the Hokuto Farm in Kyoto.

Gyokuro is sourced from a long-established shop in Kyoto, and red shiso, sansho (Japanese pepper) and kinome (sprout of a tree) are also made in Kyoto.

The water used for adding and adjusting is the famous water of Fushimi, Kyoto, which is said to be soft and well blended.

The water is added to the distilled water at the best time, and the alcohol content is adjusted before blending.The blend ratio is a trade secret, but the recipe is meticulously set to reproduce the consistent quality without losing the proportions of Ki no Mi."

Various trials and errors were made to arrive at the current bottle design.The photo shows candidate samples.

The blended raw wine is laid down for a period of time to allow it to acclimatise before bottling.

The bottling machines, of which there are only four, are basically manual.

As expected, they employ part-timers for bottling, but sometimes Mr Davis, Mr Motoki and even Mr Kroll are sent out to do the bottling!

After visiting the distillery, we moved to the lab room to actually taste Ki no Bi.

First impressions were delicate, clean and sweet.

This is followed by a gentle sourness from the yuzu, a refreshing bitterness from the cypress and a subtle spiciness from the ginger, which blend softly with the juniper flavour.

The somewhat sacred transparency of the gin may be due to the fact that it was carefully crafted in Kyoto.

It has a delicate, delicate taste that makes you want to drink it straight.

Mr Motoki says: "Actually, I drink it with water or green tea at home.

Davis added, "I recommend drinking one Ki no Bi with one part water and plenty of ice.

Because of its delicate taste, it seems to go well with Kyoto cuisine and Japanese food that makes the most of the flavours of the ingredients.

Finally, we asked them about the challenges they faced in starting up Seasonal Beauty.

'Sourcing seasonal botanicals,' says Davis.

'It's been a real struggle to find safe, high quality botanicals, and to get them in sufficient quantities.With yuzu, for example, we participate in the harvest together and prepare, vacuum-pack and freeze a year's worth of yuzu.It's definitely hard work, but it's a great experience as a distiller to be involved from the selection and harvesting of the botanicals.

Mr Motoki, on the other hand, says he had a hard time getting a distilling licence and approval to open the distillery.

'Building a distillery in Kyoto was a first for the authorities.I went to the fire station, tax office, water and sewerage bureau almost every day for nearly a year.Compared to the endless red tape, the hardships of distilling are nothing (laughs).

So what are the prospects for the future?

(Laughs)" What about the future?

We are now just trying to make this 'Season's Beauty' exactly the way it should be made.That's where I'm putting 100% of my time and energy.What comes next comes afterwards."

The premium craft gin Ki no Bi is spun in Kyoto by British Alex Davis and Japanese Yoichi Motoki.

Japanese craft gin now seems to have taken a new step forward.