Old Tom Gin, 'Ki No Tou', The Kyoto Distillery

• Limited edition Old Tom gin produced by The Kyoto Distillery in Kyoto, Japan • Base spirit distilled from rice • Botanicals include juniper, yellow yuzu, akamatsu (Japanese red pine), red shiso leaves, bamboo leaves, ginger, lemon, orris root, gyokuro green tea from the Uji region, green sanshō (Japanese Szechuan peppercorn) and kinome (leaves from the peppercorn tree) • Distilled on two custom-made Christian Carl hybrid copper stills • Botanicals are divided into six distilling groups based on flavor and aroma: Base, Citrus, Herbal, Spice, Green Tea and Fruity & Floral  • Each group is macerated and distilled separately before blending • Proofed down with water sourced from the abundant underground springs of Fushimi, a region known for its delicate brewing water • Sweetened with organic Kokuto black sugar from the Okinawan island of Yonaguni; this rich style of sugar is made from Okinawan-grown sugarcane that is pressed and slowly reduced to preserve a high mineral content before being poured into cool metal molds to naturally solidify • 47.4% ABV Believed to be Japan’s first Old Tom gin, Ki No Tou tweaks the botanical proportions of Kyoto Distillery’s flagship KI NO BI dry gin and sweetens the final blend with the distinct, mineral-rich Okinawan sugar, Kokuto. Set the cocktailian wheels turning by trying this expression in a brooding Martinez and let your imagination run from there.