Opening one year on from the announcement of investment into the site, the new facility will have multiple stills, as the brand plans to increase production capacity.
“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,” said Hiroyuki Nagai, operations director at The Kyoto Distillery.
The new distillery has an efficient boiler powered entirely by electricity using renewable energy sources such as wind, water, solar and geothermal energy.
The facility, located in Kameoka city of Kyoto Prefecture, is part of Ki No Bi's plan to sustainably expand its global distribution.
Murielle Arnaud Dessenis, global vice president of marketing gins at Pernod Ricard, added: “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 Bis global market share as an ultra-premium gin of choice.”
