THE JAPAN NEWS



 

LONDON (Jiji Press) — With gin and vodka products made in Japan starting to be rated highly in Europe, attention is turning to whether such distilled alcoholic beverages from the country can match the huge popularity of Japanese whiskey in the region.

Among European consumers, Japanese whiskey has won accolades almost equal to those for Scotch whisky.

Roku, a gin product of Beam Suntory Inc., which is made with Japanese materials, including cherry blossom petals and “sansho” pepper, as well as standard gin ingredients, was released in Britain in February 2018.
Possessing a delicate flavor, Roku is “selling better than expected,” an executive of the Suntory Holdings Ltd. affiliate said.

Beam Suntory launched Roku in the United States in October as part of its moves to expand sales of the product overseas.

At the International Wine & Spirit Competition, held in Britain last year, Ki no Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, made by Kyoto Distillery, won the Contemporary Gin prize, becoming the first Japanese gin product to win the award.

The distillery, based in Kyoto, was given the International Gin Producer award, the first time that the honor has been granted to an entity from Japan. The company was praised for its unique method of production using materials such as “hinoki” Japanese cypress and “yuzu” citrus fruit.

At the International Spirits Challenge, also held in Britain last year, Nikka Coffey Vodka of Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., which is under the wing of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., received the top prize in the vodka category.

Japanese liquor makers are increasingly looking to products such as gin, which do not require a long aging process, amid shortages of malt whiskey stemming from the massive popularity of Japanese whiskey products, as well as consumers’ growing preference for products with unique and original tastes on the back of rising demand for distilled alcoholic drinks around the globe, industry officials said.

According to British research firm IWSR, global sales of distilled alcoholic beverages are expected to reach $366 billion in 2022, up 15 percent from 2017.