3 best craft gin distilleries in Tokyo that are open for visits

Tokyo Hachioji Distillery became the first craft spirit distillery to open in the Tama area when it launched last year. The Hachioji Distillery focuses on the traditional method and taste of classic London dry-style gins, but gives itself an edge by using local botanicals like Japanese lemon peel and natsumikan (summer oranges). 

Currently, the distillery offers two types of speciality gin: the Classic Tokyo Hachio Gin and the Elderflower Tokyo Hachio Gin. The former is a zesty, citrusy spirit with floral notes of chamomile and elderflower. The latter, however, has more pronounced notes of elderflower and a lower alcohol content of 40 percent, making it easier to drink for the uninitiated.

The distillery also has a bar counter and event space for parties, with a collection of domestic and international spirits for bartenders and other industry professionals to experiment with, but it's only open a handful of days each month. The distillery is about an hour and a half away from Shinjuku by train and occasionally offers tours, which must be booked online in advance.

This trendy micro-distillery in Kuramae is run by Ethical Spirits & Co, a company aiming to make drinking culture more sustainable by turning food waste into high-quality spirits. It gained recognition in 2020 with the release of its Revive gin, made by distilling leftover Budweiser beer during Japan's state of emergency. 

You can get a glimpse of the magic that goes into this process from the ground floor, where a few copper vats gleam behind the storefront. You’ll get an idea of the flavour profiles in bottles like the Cacao Éthique, made with a base of sake lees, if you ask the staff to spritz the spirit on a cotton pad for you. But for a proper experience, you should head to the second floor.

Upstairs, the venue's gastropub, Stage, showcases the distillery's spirits and sustainability ethos in its cocktail menu, like the fruity clarified milk punch featuring Revive. Visitors can also order any of the gins neat or in a G&T to sample the spirit.

The food menu features small plates perfect as bar snacks or a pick-and-mix meal, including the popular Kuramae fried chicken. Stage has a small table for groups of up to four and a large concrete bar where guests can watch the bartenders in action.

In Toranomon, one local distillery has found a way to carry on the age-old traditions of brewing sake in Tokyo. The distillery is connected to a modern izakaya pub, the Toranomon Shushokudo. Here, you'll find an on-site distillery producing craft gin made with Ome spring water and locally sourced shochu from Tokyo.

The gin label Common, featuring a black and white tiger on its front, is exclusive to this Toranomon venue. You can pick up on the gin’s botanical notes in cocktails like the lemon sour and highball. To perfectly complement the restaurant’s seasonal gin, the izakaya menu here features homestyle classics like Napolitan pasta, garlic mentaiko toast and crispy karaage fried chicken.