Kirin Targets Thriving Craft Gin Markets With Latest Expansion

Kirin’s Yatsu Boshi Japanese Craft Gin heads to new markets. (Photo: Kirin Holdings Company)

Japanese beer and spirits giant Kirin Holdings Company has strategically entered the thriving craft gin market. According to a report published by Food Navigator-Asia on Tuesday, Kirin highlighted a substantial 40% increase in global gin sales from 2018 to 2022. In response to this trend, the firm will export its Yatsu Boshi Japanese Craft Gin from the Yatsushiro Distillery to key markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Australia.

Yatsushiro Distillery, operating since 1939, has a rich history of producing shochu since 1963, bolstering Kirin’s standing as a traditional shochu brewery while extending its footprint into the burgeoning craft gin sector in Asia. Haruna Yamazaki, representing Kirin’s Corporate Communications department, underscored the company’s aim to heighten brand recognition and tap into the growing enthusiasm for craft gin in the targeted markets.

“Through the export of Yatsushiro Distillery YATSU BOSHI, we aim to increase recognition of the company as a traditional shochu brewery and cultivate [our presence in] the craft gin market in Asia,” ​Yamazaki told Food Navigator-Asia​.

Elaborating on the rationale behind Kirin’s choice of these four markets, Yamazaki first emphasized Australia’s prominence as the sixth-largest gin market globally.

“Australia is the world’s sixth largest gin market,” he told the news outlet. “Craft gin, which is made with a focus on the botanicals and ingredients used, manufacturing methods, and regions of origin, is attracting particular attention [in the country].”

“In Australia, there is a strong perception that Japanese food is healthy, leading to growing interest in the cuisine as well as alcoholic beverages that go well with it. ​There is also a keen interest in Japan itself, with the number of Australian visitors to the country increasing for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019, amid a rising ‘Cool Japan’ trend where Japanese culture is seen as ‘cool’.” ​

Regarding Singapore and Malaysia, Yamazaki noted that both regions share ties with the Japanese company.

“In addition to being geographically close to Japan, the Kirin Group has established sales channels for spirits in Singapore and Malaysia.”

Meanwhile, South Korea may offer Yatsu Boshi a promising market trajectory, as Yamazaki highlights: “South Korea has the potential for our export growth due to its close political and economic ties with Japan. We will start by exporting craft gin on a small scale and explore its market potential.”

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