Altamura Distilleries is adding Japan to the roster of markets for its vodka.

The Italian group has teamed up with local importer N.Experience to target the country’s on-trade.

Altamura Distilleries founder Frank Grillo said: “Japan is one of the most exciting and respected drinks markets in the world, so this launch is a hugely important moment for us.”

The businesses is focusing on what Altamura called “premium bars, luxury hotels, chef-led restaurants and influential cocktail destinations”.

“We view our main competitors are Grey Goose, Belvedere and Kettle One. These are brands that show up as a €20 ($23) or equivalent martini at the cocktail bar,” Grillo told Just Drinks.

Reflecting on Japan’s vodka category, Grillo suggested both “ends of the market – the ultra-premium, high-price-point section and the low-price section – are facing pressure”.

However, he added Altamura Distilleries was “optimistic” about the vodka category’s prospects in Japan, with trends seen elsewhere also taking hold in the country.

“The general ‘less but better’ trend is present in Japan. They in many ways were there before other markets,” Grillo said. “The resurgence of the martini is very present in Japanese cocktail culture, which is helping drive vodka sales, as is a trend towards lower-abv cocktail styles like the highball, which also is a great cocktail style for featuring vodka.”

The move into Japan opens another market in Asia for Altamura Distilleries. In November, the company announced it had struck deals with distributors in China and Hong Kong.

Its vodka is made from wheat grown around the town of Altamura in Puglia in southern Italy. The company sells its vodka in more than 20 markets, including Italy, the UK and the US. Grillo said the business “expects further expansion in Asia in the balance of 2026”.

He declined to disclose the company’s sales last year but said it saw sales “double” in 2025 “and, so far in 2026, we are seeing growth of two-and-a-half to three times”.

Grillo added: “We are quite bullish on the outlook for premium vodka. We see solid growth in all of our markets, helped by the strong interest in the martini, by the increased popularity of the highball cocktail style and I think also by a mild shift away from Tequila and whiskey.”