As consumer interest in categories such as Japanese gin and Indian whisky takes off, a number of local brands are shaking up the spirits category with new and exciting expressions.

SB presents the best value-for-money Asian spirits

The Spirits Business held its annual Asian Spirits Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges recognised the best bottlings in the business.

This year, only spirits made in Asia were eligible to enter, spanning all manner of categories, from Asian gin and vodka to whisky and rum.

A wide range of spirits were awarded the top accolades of Master and Gold medals for their quality.

The individual scores of each entrant have not been revealed, however these are five of the highest rated medalists in the competition, in no particular order.

While some expressions are not standard priced, our judges have given each spirit listed here the seal of approval for offering excellent quality within their respective price categories.

Click through to the following pages to view the top five best value-for-money Asian spirits of 2019.

Etsu

Price: £35 (US$45.45)

A Master medal was bestowed upon BBC Wines & Spirits’s Etsu gin in the Gin Made in Asia flight, which had a “curious combination of botanicals but was very layered”.

Etsu, meaning ‘pleasure’ in Japanese, is created in Hokkaido using a range of botanicals including juniper, green bitter orange peel, yuzu, coriander seeds, angelica and liquorice root.

The botanicals are macerated in neutral cane spirit for 24 hours before copper-still distillation takes place, then diluted using water from the Taisetsu Mountains.

Chalong Bay Pure Series

Price: £40 (US$52)

Chalong Bay Pure Series rum from Thai producer Chalong Bay Distillery grabbed a Gold medal in the Rum Made in Asia round. The rum is made from 100% natural first-press sugarcane in partnership with local Thai farmers.

Chalong Bay Pure Series was said to have a “lot of expression of raw material”, with flavours of “banana” and a “bitter” finish

It is handmade in small batches using traditional distillation processes and an imported French copper still.

Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength

Price: £117 (US$152)

The Gold-winning Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Single Cask Strength also caught the judges’ attention with a “sharpness” on the palate that was said to balance the sweeter flavours of vanilla and caramel.

The Taiwanese whisky was produced by Kavalan and is part of the Soloist range. Matured in hand-selectedAmerican ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky is available at cask strength and non-chill-filtered.

Ki No Tea

Price: £50 (US$65)

A Gold went to The Kyoto Distillery’s Ki No Tea gin, which “captured the green tea really well” according to judges.

The limited edition expression was created in collaboration with tea-grower and blender, Hori-Shichimeien, founded in the Meiji era in 1879. A number of super-premium Uji teas were chosen for the creation of Ki No Tea including Tencha and Gyokuro. Leaves harvested in the Okunoyama tea yard were also blended with a “secret botanical recipe” used in the gin.

Kiyomi

Price: £45 (US$58.44)

Gold medallist Kiyomi by BBC Wines & Spirits was hailed for being “earthy and rich” with a “lovely vegetal nose”.

Kiyomi, which means ‘pure beauty’ in Japanese was crafted in Nago City, Okinawa, at Helios distillery, by distilling local sugar cane molasses in a column still. It is recommended served in classic cocktails such as a Cuba Libre, Mojito or Daiquiri.