Since my first part-time job back in the '70's, I've tried my hand (with varying degrees of success) at packing chickens, driving a tractor on a hop farm, repairing lemonade machines, picking tobacco leaves, trading Eurobonds, importing artisanal (I'm not going to use the "c" word) beers, whiskies and other spirits, and now co-founding Japan's first dedicated gin distillery. We began producing Japan's first super-premium gin, KI NO BI, in August 2016 and were voted the Most Innovative Spirits Launch of 2016 by The Spirits Business. In 2018 we were awarded two IWSC trophies, one for KI NO BI for Contemporary Gin of the Year and one for the distillery as International Gin Producer of the Year. We were also chosen as the Craft Gin Producer of the Year 2019 by Icons of Gin.In March 2020, Pernod Ricard invested a "substantial" sum in The Kyoto Distillery, with the majority of the proceeds to be used to build a new state-of-the-art distillery in Kyoto.Our new brand home, the House of KI NO BI, opened in central Kyoto in June 2020.In June 2022 Pernod Ricard assumed 100% ownership of The Kyoto Distillery.Since then I’ve been helping a few friends and jumping nervously back into the world of education for the first time in nearly 40 years with some online business courses.
Listed skills include Whisky, Beer, Marketing Strategy, Event Management, and 16 others.