We talked to Alex Davies who has spent the past 5 years in Japan's historical capital working as the head distiller at the award-winning The Kyoto Distillery, the first craft gin distillery in Japan. Alex shared with us his favourite places for tasting Japanese alcohol and how to experience the other, less ventured, side of Kyoto. We got the scoop on where to find the oldest geisha district and what kind of Japanese food you cannot miss in the area.
Hi, thank you for talking to us today. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
My pleasure and thank you for reaching out.
I was born in the UK, but I have also lived in Singapore and Hong Kong whilst growing up, so no stranger to living abroad.
Things I love include good food, good drink (gin – of course), and great company, perhaps a part of the reason I feel so at ease in Kyoto. With a myriad of restaurants and bars to choose from and with such a great community here as well, it was easy to fall in love with the city that I have now called home for over 5 years.
How did you end up becoming the head distiller at the first craft gin distillery in Japan, The Kyoto Distillery, and what was it like?
I studied Biochemistry at the University of Nottingham, where I met my then girlfriend and now wife Rachel, before heading north to Edinburgh for a year to study a post grad Masters in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot Watt University. From there we moved to Herefordshire for a few years both working at Chase distillery, Rach in marketing, and me as a distiller. We were then involved in the start-up of The Cotswolds Distillery, again with Rach in marketing/PR/events and me as Head Distiller, before David, Noriko and Marcin (the founders of The Kyoto Distillery) found me and tempted me away for a life of distilling gin in the Far East.
It was nothing short of a whirlwind! The Cotswolds Distillery was still only in its infancy and we were just a few short months from our wedding day as well so there was a lot going on in our lives already without having to think about moving to the other side of the world!
Ultimately the opportunity to move to Japan to work with Marcin, Noriko and David in building a distillery in Kyoto and producing the world’s first Japanese gin proved too much to turn down.
Do you have any advice for people planning their big move to Japan?
What are you waiting for? In all seriousness though I would say prepare yourself. Try and spend time learning the language before moving, especially if not to a big city. But most importantly come with an open mind as you do need to be prepared to accept a lot of different practices and ready to ride those big culture shockwaves.
Unless you are being sponsored by a company and you have the legal and administrative side taken care of for you, I have also heard from a lot of people that navigating the visa situation can be tricky. So do your research and make sure you know what’s what first.
Are you working on any new projects at the moment?
Personally or professionally? Either way the answer is always YES!
Professionally, I’m afraid there is nothing I can disclose at present but do keep an eye on the distillery social media for updates. You can head to the online shop to sign up for our ELEMENTS membership and stay fully up to date (and gain first access to exclusive releases – international shipping is still a work in progress).
Personally, I am always messing around with something, more recently with fermentation…Rachel has been incredibly patient, far less so though after a recent exploding bottle of kombucha woke us up at 3.45am. However, despite that ‘minor’ set back, over the last year and a bit I have been working with a friend, Chai Cameron, on a fermented habanero hot sauce which Chai will be releasing locally soon. The brand is called ‘Habanebros’ and the first hot sauce will be available from next month actually. For anyone in Kyoto you can also pick it up from S’wich café near Kyoto station.
What is The House of KI NO BI? How can you include it in a Kyoto itinerary?
Oh, I am glad you asked. Housed within a renovated century old machiya house in central Kyoto, The House of KI NO BI is our new brand house, and experience centre, which features:
- a shop
- a bar
- an exhibition space showcasing the history of the distillery and the many wonderful and talented people involved behind each bottle
- a seminar room where we will also be running a gin blending school
- a gin palace where you can relax with a cocktail or explore our more limited editions such as the NOH series and a selection of vintage and rare spirits and liqueurs
Kyoto has some amazing hiking if you want to escape the crowds. I was recently taken on an easy morning hike from Chion-in to Shogunzuka (amazing view over the city) and then returning down via the back of Kiyomizu-dera to wander the streets of Higashiyama.
By then I am sure you will have worked up an appetite and there are some great lunch spots around. For high end tempura, Tempura Endo is an amazing experience. Ishibekoujimamecha for up-market izakaya vibes or Rutubo for more casual but very tasty izakaya vibes with a great atmosphere. Hisago is a local hotspot – the oyakodon (chicken and egg on rice) is awesome there for a quick refuel.
If it’s sunny, head to the banks of the Kamogawa river! It’s a beautiful place to relax and let your food go down. It’s always busy with locals when the sun is out so there is a great atmosphere to enjoy a couple of drinks before wandering to The House of KI NO BI for a pre-dinner cocktail.
Do you have any travel recommendations for visitors who are interested in Japanese alcohol?
Other than The House of KI NO BI? There are so many incredible bars across all prefectures that I would love to recommend but I couldn’t possibly name them all here.
Yamazaki and Yoichi both run great tours for whisky enthusiasts. Many sake breweries run tours and tastings and often have restaurants attached as well, so if you are a Japanese sake nihonshu fan then check online to see which breweries in the prefecture you’re visiting are open to the public.
There are also a lot of great craft breweries scattered around Japan now, again many of which have brew pubs or tasting rooms attached. If you visit Kyoto I would highly recommend a trip to The Kyoto Brewery for their tap room or to Kyoto Beer Lab for brew bar vibes.
What are some must-see spots for people who are coming to Japan for the first time?
It’s tough to choose given that almost 97% of Japan is a listed UNESCO site…! Jokes aside, there really is so much to see and do across Japan I couldn’t do it justice in a short paragraph, but I would love to share a few spots around my neck of the woods, Kyoto.
Here are a few lesser-known spots to check out:
I love the vibes of Kamishichiken (Kyoto’s oldest geisha district), Nishijin, and around Kitano Tenmangu. Traditional streets that are just as beautiful as Gion but more residential and so much quieter.
Kurama and Kibune for some shinrin yoku (forest bathing).
Kosanji temple in Mt. Takao is very tranquil, as is Gio-ji in Arashiyama.
More central, Kenninji has a beautiful interior garden and the ceiling mural is very cool - plus it’s usually relatively quiet even though it’s in the heart of Gion.
Have you had any unexpected or funny incidents while scouting for botanicals or travelling around Japan?
Did you know that yuzu trees have really large thorns? Well, we found that out first-hand when we went to hand pick the yuzu for our first ever batch of KI NO BI at a farm in the mountains of Ayabe. Armed with more knowledge and experience and better protective gear the distilling team helps our farmers during harvest at 3 of the Kyoto based yuzu farms that supply us each year in November.
What is your favourite Japanese food?
Oh no, so hard to choose! I live to eat and Japan has been a gastronomic delight. I will avoid the obvious here and shoot for something lesser known for anyone looking to visit.
Kyoto is famous for Kyo yasai (seasonal vegetables). I would highly recommend checking to see what is in season and asking for the chefs recommended vegetable dishes. Kyoto is also famous for tofu, or more specifically the skin of the tofu, yuba, so do hunt that down as well!
For sweet, nothing beats a good ichigo daifuku (fresh strawberry wrapped in mochi with a layer of sweetened white bean paste).
The word of the month is ‘tsundoku’ (積ん読) meaning ‘letting books pile up at home in the hopes of reading them later’. What book would you recommend to people who are planning their first visit to Japan?
Easy! I would recommend checking out STORIED Magazine online (and subscribing) and having a look at their first issue.
After 5 years working as a travel journalist and photographer here in Japan, STORIED was started by my extremely talented wife this year. STORIED is a coffee table magazine inspired by the people, places, crafts and culture of Japan. For anyone looking to learn more about many of the lesser-known wonders of Japan I would highly recommend a read. The theme of Volume One is Kyoto, though it focuses on lesser-known areas in the city and the wider prefecture, and Volume Two is coming up telling tales of the country’s remote islands.
Don't forget to check how Alex has been doing on his Instagram, and for more updates from The Kyoto Distillery, head to their Facebook and Instagram profiles.
