A world first!Made in Japan bitters,
'The Japanese Bitters' is finally born!
<Part 2>

Yuki Yamazaki has obtained a sake brewing licence and has finally managed to launch The Japanese Bitters.Yamazaki says he wants to think about how bartenders work, and what he thinks about bitters and craftsmanship.

writer：RyokoKuraishi

Bitters are the most famous supporting role in bars.New brands are springing up all the time.

After much trial and error, Yuki Yamazaki completed a recipe for bitters with Japanese ingredients.


Just as he was looking for a partner, he was invited to hold a seminar on bitters at the Amsterdam cocktail bar Door 74, and was approached by Herman Janssen, which produces Bobby's Gin.


This one, made in Schiedam, the Netherlands, which is considered the birthplace of juniper-based gin, is a symbol of Dutch gin.
The founder's grandson discovered the original recipe, which was self-distilled in the 1950s, and approached Herman Janssen to commercialise it.
His grandfather's recipe, born in Indonesia, was Dutch gin with exotic herbs and spices from his native country.
This was modernised into Bobby's Gin.


Herman Janssen was just thinking of expanding into Asia when I was asked by a Herman Janssen representative who had attended one of my masterclasses to help promote Bobby's Gin in Japan as an ambassador.I was asked to help promote the product in Japan as an ambassador.


I had no know-how in product promotion, so I was apprehensive, but when I took a sip of Bobby's Gin, I was captivated by its unique taste, and I accepted the offer with a simple 'yes'.
Of course, I also had the feeling that such experience would surely come in handy one day when selling
my own bitters."

Herman Janssen Distillery in Schiedam, where Mr Yamazaki undertook his training.

Behind the scenes of selling Bobby's Gin to bars and steadily expanding his network, Yamazaki's 'The Japanese Bitters' project was also steadily progressing.


In the end, I couldn't make it on commission as I wanted, so I decided to get a sake brewing licence and produce it myself.
If I had known a bit more about sake brewing licences at that time, maybe I wouldn't have thought about getting one (laughs).
It was that hard."


The production site was a self-renovation of his father's house in Chiba to be used as a distillery, which was approved by the health department.
The problem was the brewing licence.


'When I first went to the tax office, I was literally turned away at the door.
They said you need a degree in agriculture to get one."

This is the Schiedam where the Herman Janssen company is based.The 33 m high windmill is a landmark in the city.

'But I had training experience at Herman Janssen, so I asked them to help me with the paperwork.
That's how I finally got my start."

However, it took a year to get the licence.
For example, there was no precedent in Japan for the use of a single dropper for bottles for food use, so we had to provide evidence that there was no problem using it for food products.


'At the same time, I also started to study management accounts in order to learn about management, marketing and manufacturing knowledge and know-how when setting up the business.


In terms of the production of bitters, we aim to create a micro-business that is not a traditional manufacturing business, but a very compact one.
We are trying to draw up a futuristic business model with internet and SNS-based promotion and sales channel development, AI-enabled manufacturing, production control and management."

A view of the monitoring carried out abroad.The label design has been updated a lot since then.

As for how to use bitters, Yamazaki recommends a simple gin and tonic.
The gin market is likely to grow in the future, so I'd like to propose 'The Japanese Bitters' to bars that are thinking about offering a different gin and tonic.


Japanese craft gins are being created one after another, and these bitters will be a jumping off point to highlight the botanicals in gin.
Eventually, we hope to make it a new category of premium 'Japanese flavouring' rather than bitters.


As for yuzu and shisoAs for yuzu and shiso, they also go well with whisky sours.
The recipe for the Umami Bitters is actually the result of advice from Ishigaki-san from Ishigaki-san of Ishi-no-Hana, who used Umami for his Old Fashioned.
The taste will surely shock you.


A high-end izakaya where an acquaintance of mine works as a consultant adds it to their beer, and I've received some interesting feedback that it gives a craft-like flavour to what is otherwise an ordinary beer.
It would be a great honour for the brewers if they could use it in any way they like."

The Japanese Bitters is currently set to expand in the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Malaysia and the US.
It plans to start a European tour, starting with Bar Convento Berlin in October.
Plans are also in the works to take part in London's Cocktail Week.


'Overseas, we intend to actively promote our products not only to bars, but also to Japanese dining establishments.
The popularity of Japanese food overseas is strong, so there should be an increasing demand for Japanese-flavoured cocktails."


The makers are also planning their next product development.


As for the brewer, he is planning the next phase of product development: "I would like to add hinoki, sansho and wasabi, for which I have already started developing recipes, to the line-up, and start with a total of six varieties.
Now that we have obtained our sake brewing licence, we are planning to launch a new brand called Bartender's Choice as the next step after Bitters."


This will be a series of liqueurs and spirits that the bartenders and Mr Yamazaki will jointlyThis will be a series of liqueurs and spirits produced jointly by the bartender and Mr Yamazaki.
In addition, they will also collaborate with sake breweries to promote cocktails made with sake and bitters worldwide.


Mr Yamazaki is facing the manufacturing industry as a new innovation in the way bartenders work.
The day is not far off when made-in-Japan bitters released under a futuristic business model will dominate bar counters.