Kokoro Gin, a Japanese-inspired London Dry Gin, has agreed an exclusive UK distribution deal with Mangrove, the specialist spirits agency.

The deal will see the gin being marketed to on-trade, off-trade, wholesalers, independents, supermarkets and other retailers through Mangrove’s network.

Kokoro was launched in September 2016, with its first batch selling out in two months. Its core ingredient, sansho berries, are hand-picked and imported to the UK from the Afan Woodland, a sustainable forest in the Nagano region of Japan. Used extensively in Japanese cuisine, sansho berries have a distinctive pepper flavour with a citrus aftertaste. Combined with eight other botanicals, the sansho berries give Kokoro Gin its unique flavour.

Uncle Nic and James Nicol

James Nicol, managing director at Forest Spirits, which produces Kokoro Gin, said: “Our deal with Mangrove will allow us to take Kokoro Gin to a larger market. We know that Mangrove only works with the highest quality products, so this is a perfect partnership. It is a significant step for us in growing the brand.”

Nick Gillett, managing director of Mangrove, said: “Kokoro Gin expands our gin selection, offering a point of difference for our customers. The addition of sansho berries produces a gin with oriental nuances, adding unique flavours compared to the traditional style of gin.”

Forest Spirits was formed by entrepreneurial duo, James Nicol and Barry Darnell. The brothers-in-law, who are financial consultant and design agency head by day, were inspired by a family connection to the Afan woodland in Japan, where sansho berries grow. James’s uncle, CW Nicol (affectionately known as Uncle Nic), is a lifelong environmentalist and author. He bought the Afan woodland in the 1980s and donated it to the Woodland Trust. It is now home to over 50 endangered species.