KI NO BI

​Japan has had a hand in the whisky market for a few years now, but gin, unlike Tom Waits, is not big in Japan. That could all change though in Kyoto where you can find Japan’s first dedicated artisanal gin distillery. 

KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin (Meaning the Beauty of the Seasons, no relation to Obi-Wan) is made in the dry style but with a Japanese twist. The distillery has had two copper stills made to order by German manufacturer Christian Carl, the two stills allow the distilling team to treat each botanical individually, allowing the very best flavours from each ingredient to be developed.

Speaking of ingredients, KI NO BI uses a rice based spirit, within which some very interesting botanicals are macerated such as hinoki wood chips (Japanese cypress), red shiso leaves (a Japanese culinary herb), bamboo, gyokuro tea and green sanshō (Japanese peppercorn) berries.

​Finally Fushimi water is added to reduce the gin to its bottling strength, which sits at 45.7%.

So there’s a bit of background, but as let’s get down to the important issue, namely taste.

Fox’s Tasting Notes
To honour KI NO BI’s traditional Japanese roots I’ve deviated a little from my normal format and put my thoughts into a Haiku -

Juniper and rice
Under the Sakura blossom
Tonic for the soul

Or for a less obscure read -

KI NO BI Tasting Notes
Nose: Floral and aromatic
Taste: Hint of earthiness and oak
Finish: A taste of pepper and ginger at the end
Average price: £48.95
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Fox's Rating: 7/10

​Kyoto distillery have made a solid entry into the gin market with KI NO BI, but the high price is a bit of a put off. No doubt in a few years’ time there will be some great gin coming out of Japan, but at the moment you can get more bang for your buck at home.

​The SilverFox