Niseko's ohoro GIN wins two golds in London
ohoro GIN, a craft gin from the Niseko Distillery in Hokkaido, has won two gold medals at the London Spirits Competition 2026 and two more at TWSC 2026 in Tokyo.
Niseko Distillery is run in the town of Niseko, on Hokkaido (Japan’s large northernmost island), by Hakkaisan Brewery, best known for its sake “Hakkaisan”. Its craft gin series, ohoro GIN, was recognised in a row at spirits competitions in London and Tokyo in 2026. A gin made by a Japanese sake brewery has thus earned high praise from judges in the United Kingdom, the home of gin.
Results at two competitions, London and Tokyo
The London Spirits Competition 2026 is an international competition that judges a product’s overall strength in the market, taking in not only quality but also value for money and packaging design. There, the standard “ohoro GIN Standard” and the limited edition “Japanese Peppermint (Nihon Hakka)” won gold medals, while the limited edition “Lavender” took a bronze.
At the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC) 2026, one of Asia’s largest spirits competitions, held in Japan, industry experts judge by blind tasting, with the brand hidden. Here, Standard and Lavender won gold, and Japanese Peppermint won silver. All three expressions were honoured at both competitions.
Gin made from Hokkaido botanicals
The series is built on the pure underground water of Mount Niseko Annupuri and on Hokkaido botanicals. Standard is a classic London dry gin made with yachiyanagi (known in English as bog myrtle) and Japanese peppermint from Niseko; its crisp, smooth yet firm character is layered with a light citrus aroma. Japanese Peppermint features Japanese peppermint grown in the town, combined with 12 botanicals, and puts the cool freshness of mint front and centre. Lavender is a limited-quantity release that draws out a fresh-flower fragrance using lavender, the town flower of Niseko, all of it freshly picked within the town.
How to enjoy it in Europe
To find ohoro GIN in Europe, the quickest route is to ask specialist shops and importers that handle Japanese whisky and gin. If you are trying it for the first time, mix Standard with soda water or make a gin and tonic, and see if you can pick out the bog myrtle and citrus aromas. Japanese Peppermint suits citrus-based cocktails. Comparing how Hokkaido’s botanicals sit alongside juniper, so familiar from European gins, makes it easier to sense the individuality of Japanese craft gin.
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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