Bar Benfiddich
Alessandro Scire CalabrisottoShare
High above the neon clamour of Shinjuku sits one of the most singular bars on earth. At Bar Benfiddich, the bartender is also a farmer, the cocktails are built from homegrown herbs ground by hand, and classic liqueurs are reconstructed from scratch using mortar, pestle and a deep knowledge of botany. It is part bar, part apothecary, part laboratory — and entirely unforgettable.
History
Bar Benfiddich was opened in 2013 by Hiroyasu Kayama in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Kayama grew up in a farming family in Chichibu, in rural Saitama Prefecture, surrounded by soil, cattle and mountains — an upbringing that would come to define his approach behind the bar.
As a young man, Kayama became fascinated by European herbal liqueurs after discovering absinthe and Chartreuse, and began collecting vintage bottles in his early twenties. Rather than simply pouring them, he set out to understand and recreate them, marrying his agricultural roots with a scholar's curiosity about the plants at the heart of classic spirits. The result was a bar quite unlike any other, and one that has since earned a place among the most acclaimed in Asia and the wider world.
What Makes It Special
Kayama describes himself as a "farmer bartender," and he means it literally. Many of the herbs and botanicals in his drinks are grown and harvested on his family farm, then dried and prepared by hand. Behind the bar he uses a mortar and pestle to reconstruct the likes of Campari-style bitters, amaro and absinthe — often made to order, in front of you.
The room itself is intimate and dimly lit, lined with earth-dusted bottles and dried plants, more like an old-world herbalist's study than a contemporary cocktail bar. There is rarely a fixed menu in the conventional sense; instead, drinks emerge from conversation, season and whatever Kayama has growing or distilling at the time. It is a genuinely handmade, farm-to-glass experience.
Signature Serves
Because so much is made fresh and to order, the offering shifts constantly, but a few signatures capture the spirit of the place.
- Homemade absinthe serves — drawing on Kayama's celebrated collection and his own distillations.
- House-made amaro and bitters cocktails — classic Italian styles rebuilt from homegrown botanicals.
- Fresh herb and farm-produce cocktails — built around whatever is at its seasonal peak.
Visiting Bar Benfiddich
Bar Benfiddich is found on an upper floor of a building in Shinjuku, central Tokyo — discreet and easy to miss, as the best Tokyo bars often are. Seating is limited and the experience is unhurried, so patience and an open mind are well rewarded. Come ready to talk to Kayama about flavours you enjoy rather than ordering from a list, and let the evening unfold from there.
It is a destination for the genuinely curious — anyone fascinated by the plants, history and craft behind what we drink.
Curiosity: A Fun Fact About Bar Benfiddich
Not content with growing and distilling his own botanicals, Kayama has reportedly set out to plant hundreds of juniper trees with the ambition of becoming Japan's foremost juniper farmer — a remarkable commitment to controlling his ingredients quite literally from the ground up.