The Kyoto Distillery

Kyoto Distillery is Japan’s first dedicated artisanal gin distillery and the only distillery in Kyoto. Established in 2014 by Noriko Kakuda Croll, David Croll, and Marcin Miller, the distillery’s aim is simple but arduous: to produce the best possible dry gin, featuring local botanicals of the highest caliber.

Often regarded as the artisan capital of Japan, Kyoto provides the perfect environment to craft KI NO BI gins. Located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, the distillery sources its water from the famed Fushimi region, which is tremendously respected for its delicate and delicious sake brewing water. From hand-peeling a year’s supply of lemons from nearby Hiroshima Prefecture, to sourcing special yuzu from an octogenarian farmer in the north of Kyoto, their gins speak to the artisanal culture of the region.

Kyoto Distillery’s KI NO BI gin is credited for kickstarting the Japanese craft gin boom with dozens of producers quickly following suit, including the largest distillers in Japan. But rather than simply interpreting London Dry Gin through a Japanese lens, Kyoto Distillery calls on a long history of hyper-focused mastery, a defining trait of craftspeople in the region. Botanicals are sourced from as close to Kyoto as possible, often from farmers dedicated to the production of singular ingredients solely for KI NO BI gins. These botanicals are categorically grouped by their flavor profiles and function, macerated in rice spirit, and separately distilled before blending, ensuring each ingredient may be harvested at a peak ripeness and maturity ideal for distillation.

By combining this artisan’s approach with Japan’s renowned expertise in spirit blending, KI NO BI gins are distinctly Japanese not only in botanical make-up, but in every step of their laborious production. This attention to detail, down to the design and craftmanship of the packaging, ensures each expression of KI NO BI feels unmistakably of Kyoto, distilled to its essence.