Yudai Matsuzaki's idea to produce craft gin in a nation where "shochu" spirits and whiskey rule the day came from a simple yet unique place: a desire to make use of a forest where he played as a child.It didn't hurt that Matsuzaki, owner of a distillery near Tokyo, also loves gin.Matsuzaki, 37, is one of a growing number of small-scale distillers in Japan using homegrown ingredients, some of which incorporate local specialties, to produce craft gins, fueling a domestic gin boom.According to the Japan Spirits and Liqueurs Makers Association, domestic shipments of the spirit were under 1.2 mi…READ FULL ARTICLE
