Japan's first craft gin meets Censu, the much-anticipated venture of ex-Fukuro chef Shun Sato, at this immersive pop-up in Sake Central
Once international travel resumes again, there's little doubt that Kyoto will be one of the most coveted destinations within Asia; until then, Hongkongers will have to resort to transporting themselves to the former Japanese capital through their tastebuds at the House of Ki No Bi, the first overseas pop-up of Ki No Bi's Kyoto guest experience venue taking place at Sake Central from today until May 31.
The Ki No Bi brand (translating to 'beauty of seasons') is known as Japan's first craft gin, and is in many ways responsible for kickstarting Japan's artisanal gin boom. Founded in 2016 by two Kyoto-based British expatriates, the gin broke with established distilling conventions first by using a rice-based neutral spirit for the base, and more importantly, by drawing botanicals distinct to the island nation to lend an unmistakably Japanese character to the finished product.
At the House of Ki No Bi, guests can sign up for the '6Elements' masterclass every weekend between May 15 to 31, where Bar Buonasera's Ayako Miyake will lead a fine-grained breakdown and tasting of the six distillates that are blended to create the final gin profile of Ki No Bi. These include the woody base of juniper, orris and hinoki, the peppery herb element of sansho pepper and kinome leaf, the savoury tea element of gyokuro green tea; the citrus element of yuzu and lemon; the spice element of ginger; and the fruity and floral element of bamboo leaves and red shiso.
As House of Ki No Bi manager Marcy Sakuma explains, the gin derives its name from the respect for the seasons embedded throughout Japanese culture, which is reflected in the distillation process. Unlike the traditional pot still method where all the botanicals are distilled at the same time, Ki No Bi instead creates six separate distillates before blending them together, allowing each botanical to be harvested at the peak of its respective season.
