Ki No Bi delivers fossil-free distillery
Pernod Ricard-owned Ki No Bi gin’s new fossil-free distillery, located in the Kyoto Prefecture in Japan, is now open and fully operational.
The site’s ‘grand opening’ will be hosted on 7 October, marking 15 months since a Shinto shrine master blessed the ground on which it was built in a traditional groundbreaking ceremony.
The facility, located in Kameoka city in Kyoto Prefecture, just a short drive from Kyoto, is part of Ki No Bi’s ambitions to sustainably expand its global distribution.
The new distillery’s ‘highly efficient’ boiler is powered entirely by electricity using only renewable energy sources such as wind, water, solar and geothermal energy.
Furthermore, the new facility boasts multiple stills, which enable the production team to maintain the ‘meticulous’ gin-making process that defines the brand.
The artisan gin is made from high-quality rice spirit and Japanese botanicals, such as yellow yuzu, Akamatsu wood chips, bamboo, gyokuro tea and green sanshō berries.
It is crafted with pure groundwater sourced from the sake-brewing district of Fushimi.
Each of its six botanical elements – citrus, tea, herbal, spice, and fruity and floral – is distilled separately before being blended to create an aromatic with a ‘refreshing taste’ and a gentle kick of warm, ginger spice.
Hiroyuki Nagai, operations director at The Kyoto Distillery, said: “Ki No Bi is a brand with a very Japanese heart and an artisanal spirit made with obsessive attention to detail. We could have installed one large still at the new facility, but we chose not to because we believe in maintaining our meticulous distillation process.
“We don’t simply combine all the ingredients into one still and press a button. Our botanicals are divided into six different flavour groups and distilled separately, then blended, producing a distinctive, pure and perfectly balanced gin, with a Japanese accent.”
According to the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association, gin sales in Japan have increased fourfold from 1.2 million litres to 5.5 million litres in the past five years, driven in part by growing interest in unique Japanese botanicals such as yuzu.
Ki No Bi gin, which translates to ‘the beauty of the seasons’, launched in 2016 at Japan’s first gin-dedicated distillery, located in Kyoto.
Murielle Arnaud Dessenis, global vice-president of marketing gins at Pernod Ricard, said: “The magic of Kyoto spreads its wings. This is a historic milestone for our luxury Japanese gin gem – showing its commitment to both sustainability and its ambition to grow.
“It’s a journey that began in 2016 and continues to evolve as we aim to capitalise on the opportunity to grow Ki No Bi’s global market share as an ultra-premium gin of choice.”
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