Otaru's first craft gin, born beneath a temple

In the Hokkaido port city of Otaru, a gin distillery set up in a rather unusual location has released its first product. Masato Mineo (31), who returned to his hometown, converted the underground car park of his family’s temple and opened the city’s first craft gin distillery. The debut bottle, Ootori Gin Classic, is made with Hokkaido-grown ingredients and is now on sale. In its headline, the Hokkaido Shimbun describes this one bottle as having a “deep, rich flavour”.

A distillery beneath a temple

Otaru is a port town about 40 minutes west of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s main city, by train, and is known for its canal and old stone warehouses. Mr Mineo came back to the town in what is known in Japan as a “U-turn”, a move from a big city back to one’s birthplace. For his distillery he chose the underground car park of the temple where his family lives. As early as June, the Hokkaido Shimbun had reported plans to set up a distillery beneath the temple and begin shipping as soon as August. This launch turns that plan into reality.

The pairing of a temple and a distillery recalls the long history of European monasteries brewing beer and making liqueurs. In Japan, however, it is a rare example, and an idea that suits a micro-distillery without large-scale equipment.

A “classic” drawn from Hokkaido ingredients

Gin is a spirit flavoured with a range of plants (botanicals), with juniper berries at its centre. Since the late 2010s, craft gins that make use of local ingredients such as yuzu, sansho pepper and green tea have been multiplying across Japan. Ootori Gin Classic also incorporates Hokkaido ingredients, but the exact botanicals used cannot be determined from the reports published so far. The name “Classic” suggests a bottle that values a proper gin backbone over novelty.

How to enjoy it in Europe

The distillery is brand new, and for now no distribution in Europe has been confirmed. For the moment, simply remember the keywords “Hokkaido craft gin” and “Otaru”, and keep an eye out when new brands arrive at specialist shops or online stores that stock Japanese gin. Japanese craft gins show their character most clearly when measured against the standards of Europe, the home of gin. We suggest first nosing it with just a little water or ice, then mixing it with tonic to see how the ingredients of the northern land come through. The first release from a small distillery is also a starting point for following where its maker goes next.