Pick of the Launches

KI NO BI KYOTO DRY GIN

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Brand owner Kyoto Distillery

RRP £50/€57/JPY5,000

Markets Japan, UK, Austria, France, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, selected travel retail markets

Contact sophie@qcltd.co.uk

The Kyoto Distillery, Japan’s first dedicated “artisan gin distillery” founded by industry veterans Marcin Miller and David Croll in 2015, has launched Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin (45.7% abv). Demand has outstripped supply in the domestic market to the extent that the international launch was delayed until now. Ki No Bi (meaning ‘the Beauty of the Seasons’) is said to be inspired by Japanese tradition and distilled, blended and bottled in Kyoto.

Head distiller Alex Davies uses the soft waters of Fushimi, famed for sake production, and botanicals incuding yellow yuzu, hinoki chips (Japanese cypress), bamboo, gyokuro tea and green sansho (Japanese peppercorn).

The botanicals are separated into six categories (base, citrus, tea, herbal, spice and floral). Each category is then steeped in rice spirit before being distilled individually.

The distillates are blended together before being left to marry in a process said to allow the disparate flavours to harmonise, giving balance.