Kanazawa Emerges as Premier Craft Gin Destination Leveraging Historic Water Resources and Local Botanicals

Kanazawa, renowned for its Samurai heritage and artisanal traditions, is establishing itself as a world-class craft gin destination, leveraging its pristine water resources and unique local botanicals. The city's intricate canal network, fed by Mount Hakusan's spring water, has historically supported sake brewing and now provides the foundation for innovative gin production.

Two leading distilleries are driving this movement: Alembic, Kanazawa's first spirits distillery located in the historic port town of Ono, and Oriental Brewing, a prominent craft beer brewery applying beer-making expertise to gin production. Both operations blend time-honored methods with modern innovation, incorporating locally sourced botanicals that distinguish Kanazawa's gin from global competitors.

Alembic's flagship product, Alembic Dry Gin HACHIBAN, crafted with eight botanicals including extra juniper berries and local ingredients, earned a Gold Medal at the IWSC 2023. The distillery pursues innovative techniques such as aging gin in Portuguese Madeira wine casks—a rare practice in Japan—with future plans to use original casks made from Ishikawa-grown wood. More information about regional offerings can be found at https://www.ishikawatravel.jp/en.

Oriental Brewing has translated its beer-brewing expertise into gin production, utilizing distinctive local ingredients including Kanazawa yuzu, Kaga bōcha (roasted stem tea), and kuromoji spicebush. The brewery has innovated by upcycling sake rice bran—typically discarded during sake production—through specialized distillation techniques, resulting in a craft gin called blanc that features subtle, natural sweetness from the rice.

Kanazawa's geographical advantage between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps provides access to diverse botanicals and pristine mountain water, creating ideal conditions for premium gin production. This development represents significant economic and cultural importance for the region, transforming traditional water-town heritage into a modern craft spirits destination that attracts international recognition and tourism.

The emergence of Kanazawa as a gin hub offers enhanced experiences for visitors and enthusiasts, including opportunities to meet master distillers, participate in guided tastings paired with local cuisine, and sample exclusive limited releases unavailable elsewhere. This movement preserves Japanese artisanal traditions while introducing innovative production methods that could influence global gin-making practices and sustainable ingredient utilization.