Famed for its Samurai legacy and artisanal traditions, Kanazawa is also a city shaped by water. Fed by the sacred Mount Hakusan’s spring water and cradled between two rivers, its historic center and cultural life have long flourished on an intricate network of canals that make Kanazawa one of Japan’s great “water towns.” For centuries, this pristine water nurtured sake brewing during the Samurai era—today, it inspires a new chapter: world-class craft gin.
Leading this movement are two significant players in the industry, Alembic and Oriental Brewing —boutique distillers whose creations blend time-honored methods with modern innovation. With a dedication to incorporating select botanicals, some locally sourced, including spicebush (kuromoji) and other distinctive herbs and spices, they are reshaping the gin-making landscape one bottle at a time.
Alembic, Kanazawa’s first spirits distillery, is based in the historic port town of Ono, known for its fermented food culture. Its flagship Alembic Dry Gin HACHIBAN, crafted with eight botanicals including local ingredients and extra juniper berries, delivers fresh grapefruit-like citrus notes and complex layers of flavor, earning a Gold Medal at the IWSC 2023. Pursuing innovative gin-making rooted in the local community, Alembic also crafts small-batch releases aged in Portuguese Madeira wine casks—a rare practice in Japan—with plans for original casks from Ishikawa-grown wood.
Oriental Brewing, one of Kanazawa’s leading craft beer breweries, has applied the skills and expertise gained from beer brewing to create a truly one-of-a-kind gin. Using carefully selected local ingredients such as Kanazawa yuzu, Kaga bōcha (roasted stem tea), and kuromoji, they have also upcycled sake rice bran—normally removed and discarded during sake production—through their distillation techniques, resulting in blanc, a craft gin with a subtle, natural sweetness from the rice.
Kanazawa’s rise as a premier gin destination is fueled by its enviable location between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps, offering a rich variety of botanicals and access to pristine mountain water. Today, visitors and gin enthusiasts alike can enjoy enhanced experiences—meeting master distillers, joining guided tastings paired with fresh local cuisine, and sampling exclusive limited releases unavailable anywhere else in the world.
Photo credit- Oriental Brewing
