Private Tour and Tasting of Craft Gin the World is Buzzing Over at a Kanazawa Craft Gin Distillery

Supporting Kanazawa’s Culinary Culture: Ono, Soy Sauce Town

Kanazawa’s port town of Ono is one of Japan’s five major soy sauce producing areas. Blessed with abundant groundwater from nearby Mount Haku and strategically situated on a major shipping hub, the production here began to flourish near the beginning of the 17th Century. Even today, historic soy sauce breweries continue to dot the area, a cornerstone of the gourmet culinary culture of Kanazawa.

Ono is Kanazawa’s thriving gateway to the sea

Beyond its four century history as a soy sauce town, Ono is also appealing for its quaint townscape. Feel the rhythm of a slower life in city streets lined with traditional wood houses far from the bustle of the city, with the city’s history and culture attested to by the faint fragrance of soy sauce in the sea breeze. Here in this tranquil setting is the Alembic Distillery, whose red door serves as a local landmark and distinguishes it from the surrounding neighborhood, with which it otherwise blends seamlessly.

Alembic Distillery’s red door, sourced from Wisconsin, USA

Craft Gin: Drawing the World’s Attention to Kanazawa

Driven by his passion for gastronomy, Alembic Ono Distillery founder and head Toshihiko Nakagawa left a career at a trading company to start anew in beer brewing. On a world tour of craft breweries, he stumbled into the world of craft gin. Impressed by its strong regionalism, Nakagawa also felt that gin had a great potential as an accompaniment to food. This spurred him on to found Alembic Distillery in 2019. In his words: “I wanted to create a gin that would go well with a meal.”

As the son of a chef, Nakagawa was interested in food from a very young age

Nakagawa chose Ono as his distillery’s home base because of the town's gorgeous scenery and rich culinary culture. Its history of soy sauce production also made it ideal for Nakagawa’s love of food. The groundwater was also a boon: perfectly suited to soy sauce production, yes, but also ideal for making gin. Alembic’s first gin was completed in 2022 after much trial and error, with a final recipe selected from among 25 trial candidate recipes. This flagship spirit took its name from that process: Alembic Gin Hachiban, literally meaning “No. 8.”

Nakagawa sought to create “a gin I myself would want to drink”

Hachiban is intended as a smooth tipple even for those new to gin, with a taste that leaves you wanting more. It quickly gained a following, winning the top award of gold and the high honor of a trophy at the 2023 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), the world's leading liquor competition. In 2024, it was nominated for the International Gin Producer Trophy, awarded to outstanding distilleries. Within just two years of beginning production, Alembic Ono Distillery managed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the world’s preeminent distilleries – drawing ever increasing attention to Kanazawa’s quality craft gin.

World-class praise from the IWSC

Touring a World-class Gin Distillery

This plan offers a tour of the distillery – normally off-limits to the public – guided by Nakagawa himself. The facility is clean and well-maintained, with its gleaming brassy still ensconced deep within. The still, whose copper construction provides excellent thermal conductivity, holds about 400 liters and uses groundwater supplied by melt from Mount Haku for both distillation and dilution.

Alembic’s semi-custom still

Botanicals are distilled using two methods. In steeping, they are directly soaked in a base spirit. In steam distillation the flavor is extracted using steam. Nakagawa varies his methods according to the ingredients to maximize the delicate complexity of the aromas.

The pursuit of flavor with all five senses

Alembic gin is aged in oak Madeira wine casks imported from Portugal. Nakagawa’s experimentation with barrel-aged gin is a rarity in Japan, pushing the frontiers of Kanazawa’s craft gin. His passion is evident in every tool and piece of equipment in the distillery, speaking volumes about the flavor of the craft gin produced here.

Six months of barrel aging imbues the gin with a sweet oak aroma

The Heady Aroma of Botanicals in a Distillation Experience

After the tour, move to a miniature still for the gin distillation experience. This scaled-down setup provides an excellent bird’s-eye view of the process, so you can deepen your understanding of distillation over the hour of the process, all the while wafting in the botanical aroma of the primary, secondary, and final distillates to experience firsthand how it develops. 

A miniature still, used for prototyping

During the process, enjoy a detailed explanation of the botanicals used at Alembic Ono distillery. Juniper berries are an essential ingredient, imparting a subtle sweetness, spice, and mild bitterness that unfolds in complexity while drinking. Nakagawa also uses kuromoji – a fragrant wood endemic to Japan, sometimes known as spicebush or black willow in English – along with cacao nibs to impart umami. Take in the aromas at your own pace.

The delicate art of blending botanicals

Tasting Gin’s Charms Anew

Follow your distillation experience with a tasting at the distillery’s bar, partaking of Nakagawa’s carefully curated craft gin lineup served on the rocks or with soda – including the award-winning Alembic Gin Hachiban. Drinking snacks include traditional Kanazawa fermented delicacies and soy sauce nuts, offering an authentic experience of the prefecture’s rich culinary culture.

Citrus notes from an orange garnish complement the gin nicely

Nakagawa offers guidance on how best to enjoy gin with food – such as pairing its refreshing palate with sushi. He also recommends drinking it mixed with hot water, which heightens its aroma. Kanazawa is a gourmet wonderland, and Nakagawa is brimming with a bottomless passion for gastronomy. You’re sure to come away with insights for a deeper enjoyment of gin, such as recipe variations and pairings with food.

The rich aroma of barrel-aged gin is best suited to drinking on the rocks

Drinking in the Distiller’s Intuition

Nakagawa’s ultimate pursuit is “gin that complements food,” and this plan offers a robust enjoyment of the fruits of that vision. After the experience, take home a 200 ml souvenir bottle of Alembic Gin Hachiban. These are sure to heighten your eating and drinking enjoyment and harken back to memories of your time in Kanazawa long after your trip is over.

Savor the flavor of craft gin at the distillery’s bar, with an open view of the distillation room

Kanazawa and its Ono district are stronghold of Japanese culinary culture. The craft gin born here, with roots deeply entwined in these traditions, opens a new window to the joy of gathering at the table for food and drink. This special experience brings all this together with the feel of the local climate, the passion of the distiller, and the opportunity for new drinking and dining memories. Lose yourself to Nakagawa’s pride and joy – and delight in Alembic’s delicate craft gin.