Andaz Tokyo Edition Ki Noh Bi Cask Aged Kyoto Dry Gin

As the high-rolling Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills celebrates its fifth anniversary this summer, they have created a special edition of the aged Ki Noh Bi gin on hand to commemorate the event.

We’ve seen some exclusive bottlings of whisky for Tokyo’s luxury hotel bars, but Andaz Tokyo says that they are the first in Japan to give gin the same treatment. It’s also the first time that the Kyoto Distillery has collaborated with a hotel for this kind of thing.

To create the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills edition of Ki Noh Bi, the distillery selected two casks. The first is an ex-sherry+ex-Karuizawa single malt whisky cask that held the legendary whisky for some 25 years, and the second cask is a virgin mizunara cask*. Sounds like the gin gets a double maturation in those two casks, totaling to six months.

Indeed the Kyoto Distillery is no stranger to cask-aging their gin. “Ki Noh Bi” has been around for a couple years now, found at department stores, duty free, and some gin-friendly bars. This Andaz Tokyo edition is listed as #11 on their official site. We’ve also seen them do other cask-aged bottlings like Edition K and Edition G.

At Andaz Tokyo, you’ll have two wallet-draining options to try the new special edition gin. The first is at the 52F Rooftop Bar from August 5 to August 31, where 4400 yen + 15% service charge nets you two martinis using the stuff:

• Andaz Martini with 5th Anniversary Ki Noh Bi gin, Andaz’s original daiginjo sake “52,” Andaz original sencha with wasabi leaves, wasanbon, and curacao bitters
• Peach Martini with 5th Anniversary Ki Noh Bi gin, peach, sansho syrup, and lemon juice

The second option is available now at the Rooftop Bar or the tavern until August 31: it’s a Signature Gin & Tonic with the gin, Mediterranean tonic, and hyuganatsu for 2450 yen before the service charge. 2450 yen++ for a G&T, yep, I just wrote that.

*My guess is this wood will also make an appearance in future Ki Noh Bi releases. Mizunara casks are not cheap–presumably purchased from Ariake–so they should be trying to get much more mileage out of the cask(s).