The Hong Kong gin makers hoping to break into Japan and whisky production in Hokkaido

When Perfume Trees gin launched in 2018, it quickly stood out as a brand spotlighting the flavours of Hong Kong. While it was – and still is – distilled in the Netherlands, founders Kit Cheung and Joseph Cheung (unrelated) were adamant that the botanicals would represent the flavour and aroma of the city they grew up in.

Their multiple-award-winning spirit comprises evocative ingredients including the titular “perfume tree” (also known as the white champaca tree), sandalwood, aged mandarin peel, Longjing tea leaves and Chinese angelica.

In the years since, the pair have diversified their line-up with Pale Ink, a zero-sugar coffee liqueur created with Hong Kong’s Urban Coffee Roaster brand, and a series of fruit-flavoured elixirs called Thence.

In early 2025, gin production will move closer to home, with a brand-new facility – named Tankyu Distillery – in Higashikawa, a town in Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture known for its creative community and pristine spring water flowing from Mount Daisetsu.

To celebrate, the pair will also work on a new gin that pays homage to their new Hokkaido home.