28-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
The Japanese craft gin distillers fuelling spirit's ‘unstoppable' rise in Tokyo and beyond
Yudai Matsuzaki's idea to produce craft gin in Japan, a nation where whisky and shochu are the most popular spirits, came from a simple desire to make use of a forest where he played as a child.
It did not hurt that Matsuzaki, owner of a distillery near Tokyo, also loves gin.
Matsuzaki, 37, is one of a growing number of small-scale distillers in Japan using home-grown ingredients, some of which incorporate local specialities, to produce craft gins, fuelling a domestic gin boom.
According to the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association, domestic shipments of the spirit were under 1.2 million litres (317,000 gallons) per year until 2019. They then began to increase gradually, topping 5.5 million litres in 2024.
Togedama craft gin, made by Matsuzaki Co. in Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture. Photo: Instagram/theweekendph
Gin is a distilled spirit made from grains such as barley. Once flavoured with juniper berries, producers can add other ingredients, enjoying more flexibility to experiment compared with other liquors.
