[New Product] Spring Scents Arrive from Fukushima. Limited Quantity Release of Craft Gin "naturadistill Ume Blossom Mikan GIN" Using Rare "Plum Blossoms" as Botanicals on April 15th (Wed)!

Kokage Co., Ltd./naturadistill Kawauchi Village Distillery (Headquarters: Kawauchi Village, Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture, Representative Director: Sota Oshima), which manufactures and sells craft gin, will launch "naturadistill Ume Blossom Mikan GIN," luxuriously made with plum blossoms and mikan from Shinchi Town, as the third installment in its seasonal limited series on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Pre-orders will also begin on the official EC store starting Friday, April 3rd.

▶︎EC Store here: https://naturadistill.com/collections

■ "Spring Gin" Capturing the Gentle Season Arriving After Winter

The season when the countryside slowly begins to be colored after overcoming the harsh winter. We have captured the "fleeting moment" of spring, which undeniably arrives while still carrying a hint of snow.

This product expresses the gentle atmosphere of Japanese spring, centered around plum blossoms and mikan. By shaping the structure with juniper berries and Japanese pepper, and adding a hint of Sichuan pepper spice and the gentle sweetness of strawberries, we have achieved a delicate yet deep lingering finish.

When mixed with soda, the aroma rises as if a closed flower were unfurling, and a faint sweetness and gentle bitterness spread. When paired with bitter mountain vegetables or spring vegetable fritters, the delicate sweetness of the gin is further enhanced. It is a bottle that will color your spring dining time.


■ Using Plum Blossoms and Mikan from Fukushima Prefecture's Shinchi Town "Manma Kajuen" - "Delivering Nature's Taste As Is"
The main botanicals, plum blossoms and mikan, are sourced from "Manma Kajuen" in Shinchi Town, Soma District, Fukushima Prefecture. This collaboration was realized through a deep resonance with Manma Kajuen's philosophy of focusing on natural cultivation with the desire to "deliver nature's taste as it is." The plum blossoms with their soft aroma and the mikan with their elegant sweetness and acidity, nurtured by the climate of Shinchi Town. These ingredients, created with love, are carefully distilled one by one and bottled.

■ naturadistill's Japanese Flower Gin Expressed with the "Plum Blossom," Herald of Spring

While cherry blossoms are symbolic of Japanese spring, naturadistill chose "plum blossoms." Their understated branches, standing proudly in the cold. And their modest fragrance that envelops the surroundings – in these, we found the essential beauty of Japanese spring.

The idea for plum blossoms came from Takahashi, in charge of distillation. It was the scent of "plum blossoms," heralding spring, that he encountered in his childhood, that sparked his fascination with aromas.

This is naturadistill's first attempt to feature "flowers" as the main ingredient. How to express the "modest yet robust aroma" of plum blossoms, not just their mere splendor. After much trial and error, please try "Ume Blossom Mikan GIN," one answer to our "Japanese Flower Gin" – this spring.

■ About naturadistill Kawauchi Village Distillery

Located in the central-western part of Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture, Kawauchi Village is known as a nature-rich village at the foot of the Abukuma Highlands. This small distillery is a renovated former pharmacy warehouse. It opened in November 2024.

Kawauchi Village is the only village in Fukushima Prefecture without public water supply facilities; all households draw groundwater using pumps. The forests, which cover 90% of the village's area, nurture abundant groundwater, and one encounters clear streams throughout the village. This distillery harnesses the blessings of this rich water to produce gin using uniquely Japanese ingredients.

For distillation, we employ a custom-made domestic stainless steel apparatus, rare even globally, capable of both vacuum and atmospheric distillation. Each ingredient is individually distilled at the optimal temperature to extract its best aroma, and then the individual distillates are blended in exquisite proportions, a method unique to small-scale distilleries.

A restaurant bar is scheduled to grand open on the second floor of the distillery in the summer of 2026. We aim to develop this as a destination that offers unique culinary experiences and attracts visitors.