Gin made from miso and grape pomace wins gold in the UK
YORI OKAZAKI, a gin whose botanicals come from food by-products of Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture, has won a Gold medal at the UK's The Gin Masters 2026.
A Japanese craft gin has won recognition in the UK, the home of gin. At The Gin Masters 2026, an international competition run by the British trade magazine The Spirits Business, YORI OKAZAKI, a gin made with ingredients from Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture, was awarded Gold. Its leading botanicals are food by-products that would otherwise have been thrown away. The announcement came in July 2026 from its developer, Connec.t, a Tokyo-based company that supports regional revitalisation.
Giving discarded ingredients a second life as gin aromas
Okazaki is a castle town to the south-east of Nagoya, known as the home of Hatcho miso, a dark miso made from soybeans alone and matured for a long time. The main botanicals in YORI OKAZAKI are the pomace (pressed skins and seeds) of red and white grapes, and “futa miso” from Hatcho miso, the miso taken from the very top of the fermentation barrel. It also includes offcuts left over from making shimenawa, the rice-straw ropes used at Shinto shrines and elsewhere. All of these are by-products of the region’s traditional industries, and the idea is to “upcycle” them and give them new value. Takuya Sato, a guitarist with the rock band androp who was born in Okazaki, joined the development and visited local producers together with the development team.
A “nameless distillery” with no distillery of its own
YORI is produced by a project team called NO NAME DISTILLERY. As the name suggests, it has no distillery of its own; instead it works with producers across Japan to make gins whose botanicals are fruit and vegetables linked to local food waste. Distillation is carried out in cooperation with Numazu Distillery in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture (run by FLAVOUR). The Gin Masters is a gin-only competition in which industry experts judge entries by blind tasting, with the brands concealed. Jun Koguchi, who leads the project, said he is proud that the gin has been recognised in the UK, a country so closely tied to the history of gin.
How to enjoy it in Europe
At present, no information has been announced about sales of YORI OKAZAKI in Europe. If you come across the name “YORI” at a specialist shop or bar that stocks Japanese craft gin, try a small amount neat or over ice first, and look for the fruity aroma from the grapes and the possible savoury nuance that the miso may bring. Then add tonic, which makes the change in aroma easy to notice. The idea of turning food waste into botanicals could give European drinkers, who care a great deal about sustainability, a new reason to choose a Japanese gin.
Sources
- PR TIMES (reprinted by Sankei News): “YORI ‘OKAZAKI’, a sustainable gin upcycling the charms of Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, wins Gold at The Gin Masters 2026, the world-renowned UK spirits competition!” https://www.sankei.com/pressrelease/prtimes/AG7IC7AKBJPTHN4WL3RMPG25IQ/
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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