Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
September 10, 2025
Kanazawa Emerges as Japan's Premier Craft Gin Destination
TLDR
- Alembic and Oriental Brewing offer unique gins using local botanicals and innovative techniques, providing a competitive edge in the craft spirits market with award-winning products.
- Alembic crafts gin with eight botanicals and Madeira cask aging, while Oriental Brewing upcycles sake rice bran through distillation to create subtly sweet blanc gin.
- Kanazawa's gin revival preserves traditional methods while supporting local agriculture and reducing waste, enhancing cultural heritage and sustainable tourism in the community.
- Discover Kanazawa's craft gins featuring local yuzu, kuromoji, and upcycled sake rice bran, with exclusive tastings and distillery tours in Japan's water town.
Impact - Why it Matters
This development matters because it represents a significant evolution in Japan's spirits industry, moving beyond traditional sake and whisky to establish craft gin as a premium category. For consumers, it offers access to unique, terroir-driven gins that capture the essence of Japanese botanicals and traditional craftsmanship. The sustainable practices, such as upcycling sake rice waste, demonstrate how traditional industries can innovate while reducing environmental impact. For travelers, it creates new culinary tourism opportunities in a region already rich with cultural heritage, potentially boosting local economies and preserving artisanal traditions through modern applications.
Summary
Kanazawa, Japan's historic water town renowned for its Samurai legacy and pristine mountain water from Mount Hakusan, is emerging as a world-class craft gin destination. Two innovative companies are leading this movement: Alembic, Kanazawa's first spirits distillery based in the historic port town of Ono, and Oriental Brewing, one of the city's leading craft beer breweries. Both are blending traditional methods with modern innovation, using locally sourced botanicals like spicebush (kuromoji), Kanazawa yuzu, and Kaga bōcha tea to create distinctive gins that reflect the region's unique terroir.
Alembic's flagship product, Alembic Dry Gin HACHIBAN, crafted with eight botanicals including extra juniper berries, has earned a Gold Medal at the IWSC 2023 for its fresh grapefruit-like citrus notes and complex flavor layers. The distillery also produces innovative small-batch releases aged in Portuguese Madeira wine casks—a rare practice in Japan—with plans to use original casks from Ishikawa-grown wood. Oriental Brewing applies its beer-brewing expertise to create unique gins, notably upcycling sake rice bran (normally discarded during sake production) to produce blanc, a craft gin with subtle natural sweetness from the rice.
The region's enviable location between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps provides rich botanical diversity and access to pristine mountain water, fueling Kanazawa's rise as a premier gin destination. Visitors can now enjoy enhanced experiences including meeting master distillers, guided tastings paired with fresh local cuisine, and sampling exclusive limited releases unavailable elsewhere. For more information about visiting this remarkable region, explore www.ishikawatravel.jp/en.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Kanazawa Emerges as Japan's Premier Craft Gin Destination
