NTG, based in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture and led by Yukimasa Matsuda, plans, wholesales, and retails spirits and carbonated beverages. The company announced that its craft gin “Noto Jin Ki,” made with satoyama ingredients from Noto, and “CHA-CHA-CHA,” made with botanicals from Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures, won Gold and Silver respectively in the spirits category at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition 2026, one of Asia’s largest spirits competitions. “Noto Jin Ki” is the first product in the Noto Jin series to win Gold at a domestic Japanese competition. Previous entries, including the Wales-made Noto Gin, the domestically distilled Noto Jin, and Noto Jin Negaiboshi, had received Silver awards, making this Gold a long-awaited achievement for the brand. “CHA-CHA-CHA” is NTG’s first bottle to use molasses spirit made from waste molasses as its base spirit. Its clean base spirit allows its distinctive aroma and flavor to stand out, earning strong evaluation. The award came on its first entry into a domestic Japanese competition. “Noto Jin Ki” succeeds “Noto Gin NOTO GIN,” which had been produced in Wales and imported from 2021, and “Noto Jin NOTO JIN,” which has been distilled and sold in Japan since 2024. It keeps the same botanical recipe and rice-derived base spirit, while the label design was refreshed in 2025 to make the product easier to understand as the standard bottle of the Noto Jin series. The gin uses eight botanicals: juniper berry, coriander seed, cardamom seed, meadowsweet, plus Noto-grown yuzu peel, kaya nuts, kuromoji branches, and bay leaves. Its refreshing aroma and approachable taste have made it popular with a wide range of drinkers, especially those new to gin and female gin enthusiasts. By using rice spirit as the base, it preserves the original concept of a fresh aroma “scented by the wind” while giving the gin more strength and presence, even in cocktails. “CHA-CHA-CHA” was inspired by gratitude toward the people in Ishikawa and Toyama who