‘A Pivotal Moment for All of Us’: Pernod Ricard Breaks Ground on Carbon Neutral Distillery for KI NO BI Japanese Gin

KI NO BI, a Japanese gin brand owned by Pernod Ricard, announced on Wednesday that it broke ground on a carbon-neutral distillery in Kamoeka City, Kyoto. The facility will cost approximately €25 million ($26.8 million). The company held a Japanese ground-breaking ceremony attended by employees of the distillery. The ceremony was led by a Shinto shrine master, who blessed the distillery ensuring a prosperous future.

"This is a pivotal moment for all of us at The Kyoto Distillery and our beloved KI NO BI gin as the brand prepares for future growth amid the strong demand for Japanese gin and Japanese craft spirits," Kyoto Distillery Managing Director Antonio Sanchez Villareal said in a news release. "The construction of a new state-of-the-art carbon-neutral distillery shows our firm commitment to both safety and sustainability, and we are very happy that as a part of Pernod Ricard, we can make this strategic investment in our brand."

The facility will increase KI NO BI's production capacity by five times. The boiler on site will exclusively implement electricity from renewable energy resources like geothermal energy, water and solar. Pernod Ricard shared that exports of Japanese gin are projected to grow by 30 percent over the next three years, making the investment a strategic choice.

"We are thrilled to see the start of construction for our new distillery," said head of distillery operations & strategic projects at The Kyoto Distillery, Hiroyuki Nagai. "Our farm-to-consumer philosophy, using local botanicals and ingredients will remain. KI NO BI is a brand with a very Japanese heart and artisanal spirit made with obsessive attention to detail. Our journey that began in 2016 evolves as we aim to capitalise on the opportunity to grow our global market share as an ultra-premium gin of choice."

More About KI NO BI Gin

KI NO BI shares that its name means "beauty of the seasons" in Japanese. The dry gin features Japanese botanicals like yellow yuzu, Japanese red pine wood chips and gyokuro tea from Uji. It implements a rice-based spirit and is distilled with groundwater from Fushimi's sake brewing district. KI NO BI gin hosts an ABV of 45.7%, and if you want to know more about it, read our review here . In February 2023 , the gin brand joined forces with the London restaurant Sexy Fish to create a custom gin exclusively for the restaurant. Some of the botanicals used in the gin were bamboo leaf, shiso, yuzu, lemon and kinome leaf. [botmc-promo]