“YUZA Second edition 2022” has been released on the official website of Yusa Distillery (Kinryu Co., Ltd.) in Yamagata Prefecture.
The release date is early October, and like the First edition, it will be bottled at cask strength.
The number of bottlings has not been announced, but it seems to be slightly larger than the 8,500 bottles of the First edition.
YUZA Second edition 2022
YUZA Distillery will release a limited quantity of YUZA Second edition 2022, a single malt Japanese whiskey from the cask strength series.
Carefully selected from the original sake casked during the first season of the Yusa distillery, from February to July 2019, this cask strength whiskey will allow you to enjoy the full flavor of the cask. The new Yusa Distillery is a complex, deep, and luxurious flavor that is different from the First Edition, and we hope you will enjoy this new expression of the Yusa Distillery.
Reference: New Product Information｜Yusa Dist illery
| Product name | YUZA Second edition 2022 |
|---|---|
| Sake | Single malt Japanese whiskey |
| Ingredients | Malt |
| Cask Type | Casks |
| Number of bottles | Limited quantity |
| Degrees of alcohol content | 62% (with a minimum of 2.5% alcohol) |
| Price | Suggested retail price: 16,500 yen (tax included) |
| Manufactured at | Yusa Distillery |
| Producer | Kinryu Co. |
2. How to purchase
There is no information on lottery sales on the official website. Kinryu Co., Ltd. and Yusa Distillery do not have reservations or sales, and plan to sell at liquor stores.
About Kinryu Co.
Located in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, Kinryu Co., Ltd. is a sake brewer with its roots in Yamagata Prefecture Fermentation Industry, which was established in April 1950 in Funaba-cho, Sakata City, and started producing and selling shochu (Japanese liquor) at the same time. Today, we are still primarily engaged in the production of shochu.
In 2018, the company obtained a license to produce whiskey. In the same year, the Yusa distillery started its operation.
4. About Yusa Distillery
The Yusa Distillery is the third whiskey distillery in the Tohoku region, following the Miyagikyo and Azumi distilleries, and was established in Yusa-machi, Yamagata Prefecture in 2018.
Blessed with fresh, clean air and water from the Chokai Mountains, Yusa-cho is ideal for producing top-quality whiskey.
The pot stills used are made by Forsyth, there are five fermentation tanks, and Canadian bay pine is used. The process and aging methods are also Scottish. Young whisky is not casked, only whisky that has been fully matured to its satisfaction. Focusing only on single malt whisky The distillery is a small distillery where mass production is not possible. Because we are a small distillery that cannot mass produce, we go to great lengths in every detail to produce the highest quality whisky with the utmost care.
Yusa Distillery Whisky
The “TLAS” conceptThe whisky produced at the Yusa Distillery is
Tiny
Lovely
Authentic
Supreme
The concept of the Yusa distillery is “TLAS”, which stands for the initials of the above.Yusa distillery is a very small distillery for a whiskey distillery, with a site area of approximately 4,550 square meters and a distillery area of approximately 620 square meters. The exterior of the distillery may look small and cute, but the whiskey produced here is authentic and of the highest quality. It is a one-of-a-kind Japanese whiskey that is made using traditional methods, but with the Japanese style of “monozukuri” (craftsmanship).
Quote from Yusa’s official website
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
