Japanese craft gin from Iki Island cuts food loss using oft-wasted parts of local fruits & veggies

Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami

Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami 壱岐リトリート海里村上 is a luxury hot spring inn with sublime sea views and blissful hot spring baths on the island of Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture, in the Tsushima Strait. Known for its great beaches, rich history, and over 150 Shinto shrines, Iki Island is a popular destination for local as well as foreign tourists. Guests at the resort can enjoy the island's wonderful food, including fresh local produce, island-raised wagyu beef, and delicious seafood, most famously squid and sea urchin. There's also barley shochu alcohol, which is said to have originated on Iki Island.

Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami. | © SocialWire Co., Ltd.

Unfortunately, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the number of tourists to the island has plummeted. In response to this situation, Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami and Iki no Kura Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. 壱岐の蔵酒造株式会社 launched a crowdfunding campaign to create Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura, a craft gin that goes well with Japanese food and makes effective use of local produce that would otherwise have been discarded. Thus, the project aims to tackle the problem of food loss and contribute in its own way to sustainable development goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations.

Iki no Kura Sake Brewery. | © SocialWire Co., Ltd.

The initial support goal of 1 million yen was achieved, and it has already reached 175% at the time of writing. There are two more days to take advantage of the campaign before it ends on May 9th. Rewards not only include Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura, but also a selection of Iki Island specialties to allow people to enjoy the tastes of the island at home during this period when travel is difficult.

Features of Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura

A craft gin unique to Iki, Kagura is made by blending and distilling Iki Island botanicals with a base of Iki shochu. The selection of flavors and botanicals was done in collaboration with and supervised by the chef and sommelier of Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami.

The gin has a citrusy aroma and spicy flavor that can be enjoyed on the rocks or with soda. Whether it's steamed vegetables, tempura, sashimi, or other dishes, Kagura also pairs well with Japanese food.

Battling food loss

Iki Island is Nagasaki Prefecture's largest producer of yuzu, a citrus fruit with a unique aroma and taste currently enjoying popularity both in Japan and abroad. In addition to syrups, sauces and other products, Iki Island yuzu's most popular use is in a spicy-sour condiment called yuzu koshō 柚子胡椒. Since the condiment mostly uses the fruit's rind, the juicy flesh is normally discarded. However, Kagura gin makes use of it as a source for one of its primary botanicals.

Iki Island is also famous for its asparagus. Naturally raised without pesticides, the asparagus have a natural sweetness to them. They are shipped around the country and are so delicious that they are sliced and eaten raw in salads. However, in the process of adjusting the size of the stalks for bundling and shipping, some parts are cut off and wasted, resulting in over 30 tons of waste every year. Kagura gin recuperates these parts as the second primary botanical.

Rewards

Here are the rewards available in the crowdfunding campaign:

Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura x 1: 2,500 JPY
Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura x 2: 4,000 JPY
Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura x 3: 5,000 JPY
Iki fresh produce pairing pack: 7,000 yen
Ichizen pairing pack: 8,000 yen
Miracle Tree Moringa Pack: 9,000 yen
Katsumoto Morning Market pairing pack (dried fish set): 9,000 yen
Purple sea urchin pairing pack: 10,000 yen
Iki wagyu beef roast beef pairing pack: 15,000 yen
Iki wagyu beef pairing pack: 25,000 yen
Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami limited accommodation package: 90,000 yen
A whole barrel (400 liters) of Japanese Iki Craft Gin Kagura, bottled and sent to you with a customized bottled design: 2,900,000 yen