Japanese craft gin brand KI NO BI, part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio, has officially opened its new fossil-free distillery in Kyoto Prefecture, marking a significant step in Pernod Ricard’s sustainability and premium spirits strategy.
The facility, located in Kameoka city just outside Kyoto, will enable the ultra-premium gin producer to expand global distribution while reducing its environmental impact. The distillery is powered entirely by renewable energy, with an electric boiler using wind, water, solar and geothermal sources.
The launch comes amid a surge in demand for both craft and premium gin. In Japan, gin sales have quadrupled in the past five years, rising from 1.2 million to 5.5 million litres, fuelled in part by consumer interest in Japanese botanicals such as yuzu. Globally, the premium gin segment continues to be shaped by flavour experimentation and mixology trends.
KI NO BI – meaning ‘the beauty of the seasons’ – was first launched in 2016 at Japan’s first dedicated gin distillery in Kyoto.
The new site is equipped with multiple stills, rather than a single large unit, in order to preserve the brand’s signature production method. Its approach involves distilling six groups of botanicals separately before blending, a process that the company says creates a balanced spirit with a distinct Japanese character.
Hiroyuki Nagai, operations director at The Kyoto Distillery, said: “The new distillery is about scale, but without compromise. We could have installed one large still, but instead we’ve chosen to maintain our meticulous distillation process. Each flavour group is distilled individually, then blended to achieve KI NO BI’s signature profile.”
Murielle Arnaud Dessenis, Pernord Ricard’s global VP for marketing gins, described the opening as a “historic milestone” for the brand, saying: “It shows our commitment to sustainability as well as our ambition to grow KI NO BI’s presence worldwide as an ultra-premium gin.”
The new facility opened just 15 months after construction began, following a traditional Shinto blessing ceremony performed by a local shrine master.
AloJapan.com