8. Whisky Distilleries in Kyushu and Okinawa

8. Kyushu/Okinawa Region

Kagoshima Prefecture

8-1. Kanosuke Distillery

Ltd. transferred its whisky production business at the Kanosuke Distillery to “KOMASA KANOSUKE Distillery Co.

Established in 1883, Kagoshima Prefecture’s Komasa Brewery is a brewer of mainly authentic shochu called Kozuru.
As a challenge to a new stage, utilizing the authentic shochu production technology it has cultivated to date in abundance, the company obtained a whiskey production license in 2017 and began operation of the “Komasa Brewery Kanosuke Distillery.

In 2018, New Pot was released in limited quantities. Additionally, Kanosuke Newborn 2018, which has been stored for 8 months, was released.
In 2019, Kanosuke Newborn 2019, stored for 16 months, was released.
In 2020, the company will release “Kanosuke Newborn 2020 Peated,” made with British peated malt and stored for 24 months.
In 2021, single malt will be sold and a partnership agreement with Diageo will be signed.
In the same prefecture

	Postal Code 899-2421 845-3 Gannokawa, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima
Access from Kagoshima City	From Kagoshima City Highway: 10 minutes from the Miyama Interchange on the Minami-Kyushu Expressway (approx. 35 minutes) From Kagoshima City: National Highway Route 3 – Prefectural Highway Route 24 – National Highway Route 270 (about 45 minutes) From Kagoshima Airport From Kagoshima Airport: Kyushu Expressway – Minami-Kyushu Expressway – Miyama Interchange (approx. 10 minutes) (approx. 1 hour) ○From Kagoshima Chuo Station: From Ijuin Station on the JR Kagoshima Main Line – Approx. 15 minutes by cab (Approx. 40 minutes)
Start of operation	2017
Official HP	Kanosuke Distillery KANOSUKE DISTILLERY
Tours are available.	Tours are available, reservations required through the website.
Products	Single Malt Kanosuke, Kanosuke Double Distilleries

Representative whiskies of the Kanosuke Distillery

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Distillery Details

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

嘉之助蒸溜所(小正醸造)｜蒸留所詳細情報

1883年創業の焼酎メーカー小正醸造が2017年開設。イギリス大手「ディアジオ」との資本参加は大きな話題を呼び「焼酎造りの伝統と知見を活かした世界に通用するウイスキー」をモットーに、自社の焼酎樽を使用する等、オリジナリティ溢れる商品を展開す...

jpwhisky.net

8-2. Kanosuke Hioki distillery

The company originally started out making sacred sake for the Hioki Hachiman Shrine and distilling authentic shochu. Today, the company manufactures and sells liqueurs, spirits, and whiskey. Its representative brand is the sweet potato shochu “Kozuru” series.

The distiller is a straight vertical stainless steel distiller used for shochu. Whiskey made in Hioki is “grain whiskey,” but it is different from the continuous distiller usually used for grain whiskey.

At Hioki, whisky is distilled under reduced pressure in a single-stage distiller, which reduces the distillation volume. This results in a strong, robust liquor that retains the flavor derived from the two raw materials, barley and malt. This is truly a “Japanese pot still” that can only be produced by the Komasa Shuzo Brewery, which has been engaged in shochu production for a long time.

Location	3309 Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-3101
Access	Location: Hioki, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Start of operation	1883
Official HP	Kanosuke Distillery KANOSUKE DISTILLERY
Visiting the distillery	Kanosuke distillery also has a visitor center.
Products	Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL

8-3. Honbo Shuzo Mars Tsunuki Distillery

 

Mars Whiskey is best known for the Mars Shinshu Distillery, which started operations in Nagano Prefecture in 1985.

In 2016, Hombo Shuzo renovated one of the warehouses in the Tsunuki factory, which has a history of over 100 years of shochu production, to operate the “Mars Tsunuki Distillery”.
While the Mars Shinshu Distillery has a cooler climate and maturation proceeds more slowly, the Mars Tsunuki Distillery has a warmer climate and maturation is considered more dynamic. The types of sake produced and the types of casks used for aging are also varied.
Tsunuki Distillery stores 30 casks every year in the “Yakushima Aging Cellar” that the company owns in Yakushima, in addition to the adjacent cellar. It will be very interesting to see how the aging process progresses in Yakushima, which has an unusual climate in Japan.

Single Malt Tsunuki THE FIRST” will be released on April 27, 2020, and “Single Malt Tsunuki PEATED” is scheduled to be released on January 18, 2021.

 

Adjacent to the distillery is the former residence of the Hombo family, “Houjyo,” which is used as a bar where you can taste Mars whiskey and a shop that sells original goods and alcoholic beverages. The beauty of the tiles that make up the roof, which is unique to the old house, and the luxurious finishings give the house a dignified appearance, and the garden, whose expression changes from day to day with the seasons, can be enjoyed. A wooden deck leads from the corridor to the stone storehouse, and stone lanterns are casually placed in the garden, where you can enjoy a superb moment while admiring the scenery of the four seasons.

Location	Kagoshima 899-3611 6594 Tsunuki, Kaseda, Minami-Satsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Access from Kagoshima Airport	By bus from Kagoshima Airport Buses depart every 1.5 hours. Click here for details. Kagoshima Kotsu Line 0 (Makurazaki/Kaseda direction): Approx. 90 minutes from Kagoshima Airport bus stop. From “Kaseda” bus stop Taxi (approx. 10 km) From “Kamitsunuki” bus stop: Walk (approx. 2 km) *Taxis are not available. From Kagoshima Kotsu Bus Stop East 16 (for Kaseda), transfer to Kaseda Bus Terminal and get off at Tsunuki Bus Stop. 110 min. Reference: Kyushu Bus Timetable Click here for PC versionClick here for Mobile Phone version ■By car Approximately 90 minutes from Kagoshima Airport (via the Taniyama IC on the Kyushu Expressway) Approximately 70 minutes from Kagoshima City, JR Kagoshima Chuo Station, and JR Ibusuki Station. Approximately 40 minutes from Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots Approximately 20 minutes from JR Makurazaki Station
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	Honbo Shuzo Mars Tsunuki Distillery
Tours are available.	Tours are available, reservations required through the website.
Products	Single malt Tsunuki

Typical whisky of Mars Tsunuki Distillery .

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Distillery Details

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

8-4. Nishi Shuzo Ontake Distillery

Nishi Shuzo was founded in 1845. The company boasts over 170 years of history in the mountains of Hioki City and is a long-established manufacturer of authentic shochu, known for products such as ” Satsuma Hozan ” and ” Tenshi no Temptation.” In February 2011, the company acquired the Kagoshima Golf Resort, and in 2019, a whiskey distilling facility was constructed within the golf resort.

This will be the third distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture, following Hombo Shuzo’s Mars Tsunuki Distillery and Komasa Brewery’s Kanosuke Distillery. Ontake” refers to Sakurajima, which seems to be the official name of Sakurajima since ancient times. There are two pot stills, one for first distillation and one for redistillation.
Both have an upward line arm and produce a clean new pod with a fruity and deep aroma. All casks used for aging are old sherry casks.
The company has also made a splash with the release of its craft gin ” 尽 – tsukusu” in 2019, which is the result of extracting a total of 24 different botanicals.

Single malt Ontake FIRST is already on sale.
It was said to be aged only in old sherry barrels, but the second release will be in bourbon barrels.

Location	Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture 12300 Shimofukumoto-cho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Access	5 minutes from Ibusuki Skyline, 5 minutes from Taniyama Interchange on Nansatsu Expressway, 20 minutes by car from Kagoshima City Approximately 40 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport
Start of operation	2019
Official HP	Ontake Distillery THE ONTAKE DISTILLERY
Tour	Tour of the Ontake Distillery
Products	Single malt Ontake

8-5.Nikka Whisky Satsumatsukasa Distillery

This is the production base for the shochu Satsumatsukasa. It produces grain whiskey in a straight stainless steel shochu still. Barley grain, corn, and rye are used in the limited edition Nikka Discovery Series and Nikka The Grain whiskey.

Location	200 Suwa-machi, Kajiki-cho, Aira-shi, Kagoshima
Access	Start of operation
Start of operation	1936 Whiskey distilling started in 2018
Official HP	Whisky distilling
Tour	Tour of the distillery
Merchandise	ニッカ ザ・グレーン created by Rinker ブラックニッカ Amazon 楽天市場 Yahooショッピング メルカリ

8-6. Kogane Shuzo Yokogawa Distillery

The brewing water used at the Yokogawa distillery is called “aokimizu,” which comes from the foothills of the Kirishima Mountains in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, where there is an abundance of water sources. Aokimizu” is said to be compatible with yeast, and has the effect of accelerating the aging process.

In the future, we plan to partner with major wineries in Europe, which will enable us to purchase a wide variety of aging barrels such as sherry and wine barrels.

In addition, we have breweries in Yokogawa and Kokubu-Shikine, both areas within Kirishima City. Yokogawa is a relatively cool area at a high altitude and surrounded by trees, while Kokubu-Shikine is close to Kagoshima Bay and has the scent of sea breeze. Sake matured in different regions can have different characteristics.

The Yokogawa distillery boasts ample capacity, with land the size of about 1.3 Tokyo Domes and two huge warehouses.

We aim to create a fruity, easy-drinking whiskey by using a variety of brewing water and yeasts, using different types of yeast, different types of barrels, different climates, and fermentation and distillation techniques developed over many years of shochu distillation.

Currently, we plan to produce it with non-peat malt. Basically, we plan to use non-peated malt, but we also plan to use peated malt.

The first single malt Yokogawa is scheduled to be released in September 2027. We have already released an exchange　right for a product to be released in 2027.

Location	Postal code 899-6301 3280-5 Kamino-Kamino, Yokogawa-cho, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Access	5 minutes drive or 45 minutes walk from “Osumi Yokogawa Station” of JR Hisatsu Line
Start of operation	January 2022
Official HP	Yokogawa Distillery Whiskey Factory
Tours	Undecided (Koganei Brewery is currently conducting tours of the distillery)
Product	Single Malt Newborn Yokogawa

8-7. Tensei Shuzo Hishida Distillery

Established in 1901. Started shochu production under the trade name of Laomatsu Shuzo, and changed its trade name to Tenboshi Shuzo at the end of 2010.
In recent years, the company established the “early drop distillation” method, which was inspired by the middle cut in whiskey production, and “Tensei Houjun Aka” produced by this method won the highest gold award at the TWSC (Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition) for the second year in a row.
He makes whiskey utilizing soft water from “Fugendo Spring Source”, one of the 100 best water sources in Heisei era, which flows in Hishida.
Currently, English malt from Crisp and non-pit malt from Avangard Malz of Germany and domestic malt are also used on a trial basis.
Fermentation time is long, approximately 5 days. By usinga copper hybrid still, it is possible to make both malt and grain whiskey. The company raised 8,899,000 yen in support of its 3,000,000 yen goal.

Location	899-7301, Kagoshima, Japan 1270 Hishida, Osaki Town, Soo-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture
Access from Kagoshima Airport	Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport
Start of operation	October 2022
Official HP	Tenboshi Brewery Co.
Field Trip	Undecided
Merchandise	Products

8-8. Satsuma Shuzo HinoKami Distillery

Satsuma Shuzo Corporation, famous for its shochu “Satsuma Shiranami,” which is no exaggeration to say that Kagoshima’s shochu is always mentioned, will obtain a license to produce whiskey in December 2022.
The company will begin producing malt whiskey in February 2023.
As early as November 2023, the company plans to install a new continuous distillation machine and begin producing grain whiskey in addition to malt whiskey.
Originally, Satsuma Shuzo has been producing barley shochu “God’s River” aged in white oak barrels since 1988, and is the only shochu manufacturer in Japan to have its own “barrel workshop” and “barrel cellar,” where exclusive “barrel artisans (cooper)” manage and recondition the barrels.
Incidentally, there are only about 60 barrel artisans in Japan.
Therefore, Satsuma Shuzo is one of the distilleries that can make all Japanese whiskey, including malt, grain, and cooperage (barrel making), all by themselves, and has very high expectations. The fact that Satsuma Sake Brewery receives technical assistance from three distilleries (Mars Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries of Hombo Brewery, and Yamaga distillery in Kumamoto) further raises expectations.
According to the official comment, “By the end of 2024, we plan to open a distillery with a store and a bar, which will be open to the public. The “Hi no Kami Distillery” aims to create a new Japanese whiskey that will be loved around the world by achieving world-class quality and providing facilities that will allow visitors to see the charm of whiskey in all its glory.
Two Japanese lantern-type distillation machines, production scale: 175,000 liters (planned), malting capacity (one batch): 1.1 tons
Plans to release a single malt, “Fire God,” by the end of 2026.

Location	388 Hinokami Kitamachi, Makurazaki-shi, Kagoshima 898-0043, Japan
Access	20 minutes walk from JR Makurazaki Station
Start of operation	February 2023
Official HP	Satsuma Sake Brewery Co.
Tour	Scheduled for 2026
Merchandise	HINOKAMI Newborn #1

Typical products of Hinokami Distillery

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8-9. Komaki Brewery Komaki Distillery

The history of the Komaki family dates back to 1590, when the family moved to Satsuma as one of 13 samurai retainers of the Kitago Shimazu family.
In 1909, they established an authentic shochu manufacturing business in Satsuma-cho, Satsuma-gun, Kagoshima Prefecture, which celebrates its 115th anniversary this year.
Obtained a whiskey license as of January 31, 2023.
In conjunction with this, the facility trial operation was completed, and operation officially started on April 1, 2023.
One ton per batch is prepared.
Although the facility has just started operation and the product is, of course, still a long way off, the official comment clearly states that they will make “Japanese whiskey,” and the words, full of firm will and confidence, undeniably raise expectations.
Here is the official comment
We are convinced that our technology for manufacturing and distilling authentic shochu is superior to anything in the world.
By applying this technology to the world’s distilled spirit, whisky, we believe that our Japanese whisky will soar to new heights, and that we will be able to improve the recognition of authentic shochu and regain Japan’s position as a world-class distiller.

Location	12 Tokiyoshi, Satsuma-cho, Satsuma-gun, Kagoshima 895-1816
Access	From Kagoshima Station, board a streetcar bound for Miyanojo and disembark at the Todoro Onsen-mae stop. About 103 minutes
Start of operation	1909
Official HP	Komaki Distillery
Tour	Undecided
Product	Beni Komaki Ikkyu Silver

Representative products of Komaki Distillery

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Kumamoto Prefecture

8-10. Yamaga distillery

Completed on November 6, 2021. The first whiskey distillery in Kumamoto Prefecture.

It will start operation in 2013. The parent company is MCA Holdings (Tokyo), which was established through the spin-off of the alcoholic beverage business of Minamikyushu Coca-Cola Bottling (now Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan). At the time of operation, the company produced shochu (distilled spirit), but switched its production to whiskey. The company aims to commercialize the product in 2024 or later with technical cooperation from Hombo Shuzo (Kagoshima City). The company expects to sell 150kl per year, or 40,000-50,000 bottles.

The distillery was built on the site of the original shochu factory. It is a two-story steel-framed structure (total floor space 1,257 m2) with a 4.6-meter-high bulge-shaped pot still. The 1,043 m2 aging warehouse can store up to 3,300 rack-type barrels with a capacity of approximately 200 liters. There is also a passageway for visitors to observe the production process and a lounge for tastings.

The total construction cost is approximately 1.1 billion yen.

High quality deep groundwater from the Kunimi mountain range and the Kikuchi River system is used. The water is matured by taking advantage of the difference in temperature between -5 degrees Celsius in winter and 40 degrees Celsius in summer.
In September 2025, the long-awaited single malt was released.

Location	Postal Code 861-0565 980-1 Gozato, Shikao-machi, Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Access by car	By car: 15 minutes from Kumamoto Ueki Interchange
Start of operation	November 2021
Official HP	Yamaga Distillery Co.
Tours	Scheduled from March 2022
Merchandise	Single malt Yamaga

Representative products of Yamaga Distillery

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8-11. Takahashi Shuzo Tano Distillery

The distillery was established in 2014 by renovating the closed Tano Elementary School.

The company has been making shochu for 120 years.
Focusing on water, the distillery was built in the Tano area, which is located at a high altitude and has good water quality. The distillery uses cool, clear water pumped up from 80 meters underground.

The distillation equipment is made in Scotland, and the crusher and mash tun are made in Germany.

Location	P.O. Box 868-0066 3316-4, Tano-cho, Hitoyoshi-shi, Kumamoto, Japan
Access from Hitoyoshi Interchange	Approximately 30 minutes from Hitoyoshi Interchange Approximately 25 minutes from Hitoyoshi Kuma Smart Interchange
Start of operation	October 2025
Official HP	https://www.hakutake.co.jp/tano-distillery/
Tour	Not available at present
Merchandise	Products

8-12.Yamato Brewery Co. Yamato Distillery 

A long-established sake brewery founded in 1821.
The barrel-aged shochu “Tenshi no Ushizen” won the Monde Selection Gold Prize in 2000.
Single Malt Yamato” was talked about for its resemblance to the wording on the back label of a 12-year-old product from a major Osaka whiskey maker.
Single Rice Whiskey “Honosuke” and “Magyu” which looks exactly like that premium potato shochu known as the “3M” of potato shochu.
There is no information on distillers or facilities.

Location	60-1, Hamacho, Yamato-machi, Kamimashiki-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture
Access	Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes from Nishitetsu Tenjin “Tenjin Bus Center” to “Yamato-cho (Yabe)
Start of operation	1821
Official website	Yamato Sake Brewery Co.
Tours	Tour of Yamato Brewery
Products	Products

Representative products of Yamato Distillery

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8-13.JFLA Holdings Joraku Brewery

Founded in the first year of the Taisho era.
RICE WHISKY Joraku” is made by a long-established authentic shochu brewery in Kuma, Kumamoto, and is sold as grain whiskey.
The ingredients are clearly labeled, and the Japanese labeling is removed, showing their determination to create a new type of whiskey.
It is a blend of whisky distilled from German malt and Japanese rice, and vodka made from authentic shochu (rice liquor), which is aged and stored in oak barrels for a long time.
The whiskey’s delicate and refined sweetness derived from rice is said to be an excellent match for Japanese cuisine.

Location	2577-13 Hitotake, Nishiki-cho, Kuma-gun, Kumamoto 868-0302, Japan
Access	Approximately 30 minutes on foot from Hitotake Station
Start of operation	1912
Official HP	Joraku Brewery
Tours	Allowed
Products	RICE WHISKY Joraku Barley Shochu Joraku Autumn Dew

Typical products of Joraku Shuzo

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Oita Prefecture

8-14.Tsuzaki Sake Brewery Kuju Distillery 

Operation will start in February 2021. Kuju Distillery, a new craft whiskey distillery in Kuju-machi, Taketa City, Oita Prefecture, was established.
Shoji Uteda, who runs a liquor store “Tsuzaki Sake Shop” in Kuju-cho, Taketa City, Oita Prefecture, renovated a 400-square-meter warehouse on the premises of his store to build the distillery. He has installed a distillation machine made by “Forsyth” of Scotland, the home of distillation, and will start production in February 2021. Since the distillate needs to mature for three years before shipping, it will be available for sale around 2024 or 2025.

Mr. Udoda consulted with Ichiro Hido of Venture Whiskey, who became world famous for Ichiro’s Malt, and learned manufacturing techniques from him in 2017.
On the 5th of this month, he received his long-sought whiskey production license from the Takeda Tax Office and will finally begin production.

Location	Takeda 878-0201 6426, Oaza Kusumi, Kusumi Town, Taketa City, Oita Prefecture, Japan
Access	Approx. 5-6 km from JR Bungo Taketa Station
Start of operation	February 2021
Official HP	Not Kusumi distillery but the website of Tsuzaki Sake Brewery
Tours	–
Merchandise	–

Miyazaki Prefecture

8-15. Kuroki Honten Ozuzuyama Distillery

Ouzuyama Distillery is another distillery of Kuroki Honten, which was established in 1885. 1998, the distillery was built in the mountains of Ouzuyama in Takanabe Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, and is a beautiful distillery in harmony with the natural landscape.
Kuroki Honten is a long-established shochu distillery known for ” Hyakunen no Koroku,” ” Yamaneko,” and ” Yamazaru. The distillery was built in the mountains by Toshio Kuroki, who was inspired by the Edradower distillery in Scotland. His son, Shinsuke Kuroki, who succeeded him, started making whiskey in November 2019.

The barley used for the raw materials are “Harushizuku” and “Haruka Nijo” barley grown by the “Rebirth of the Earth Society” operated by Kuroki Honten, or those grown in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The fermentation tanks are made of Japanese wooden tubing. Local cedar is used.
The distillers are Miyake Seisakusho, one for whiskey and one for gin and other spirits. They also use a traditional stainless steel distiller with a direct injection system, which is used for shochu.
They also use barrels made of locally grown cedar, cherry, chestnut, and other non-oak casks for maturation.

One of the distillery’s unique features is that the craftsmen spread the koji inside a chamber to ferment at the proper temperature, and the malting, a style of malting in which the koji is spread inside a box, is all done by hand.

The distillery also uses methods that are both locally produced and unique to a long-established shochu distillery.

Address	656-17 Ishikawachi, Kishiro-cho, Koyu-gun, Miyazaki 884-0104, Japan 656-17 Ishikawachi, Kijo-cho, Koyu-gun, Miyazaki Prefecture
Access	Approximately 30 minutes by car from Nakako, Takanabe-cho
Start of operation	1998
Official HP	Mt. Ozuzu Distillery
Tour
Products	OSUZU MALT etc.

Representative Spirits of Ozuzu Distillery

8-16. Sato Shochu Distillery SATO DISTILLERY

Sato Shochu Distillery is a long-established distillery that produces authentic shochu.
In cooperation with local farmers, the distillery produces shochu using grains and other ingredients grown in the prefecture. Sweet potatoes, barley, rice, chestnuts, etc.
In 2021, they obtained a license to produce whiskey, and have now begun producing whiskey as a new challenge.

Impression that they are probably producing a product completely for foreign markets, something similar to aged shochu.

Address	656-17 Ishikawachi, Kishiro-cho, Koyu-gun, Miyazaki 884-0104, Japan 656-17 Ishikawachi, Kijo-cho, Koyu-gun, Miyazaki Prefecture
Access	Approximately 30 minutes by car from Nakako, Takanabe-cho
Start of operation	1998
Official HP	https://satoshiki.com/ja/
Tours	Tour
Products	Single Malt Sato, Single Grain Sato, etc.

Fukuoka Prefecture

8-17 Shinozaki SHINDO LAB(Shindo distillery)

The concept of Shindo Distillery is “THE QUEST FOR THE ORIGINAL”. The distillery has a chemical basis for each process, from raw material processing, saccharification, mash cultivation, and distillation, to the creation of the original sake that will be woven into the desired aroma.

The whiskey business is a new project of Shinozaki, a long-established brewery in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which also produces Kunikiku amazake, Asakura barley liqueur, and shochu, etc. The building will be completed in May 2021, and distillation will begin in August. Pot stills manufactured by Miyake Seisakusho will be used.
The company aims to create an unprecedented Japanese whiskey by utilizing its approximately 200 years of sake brewing know-how.
The first craft distillery in Fukuoka Prefecture is scheduled to begin shipments in three years. The company aims to ship 200,000 bottles a year.
In the future, the company plans to use wood from its own forests to make the vats used during fermentation and the barrels used during maturation.

The company also owns a gin distillery, Asakura Distillery, in the same area. It is noteworthy that whiskey production may also take place here.

Location.	Asakura-shi, Fukuoka 838-1303 185 Hiramatsu, Asakura, Fukuoka, Japan
Access	Near Asakura IC on Oita Expressway
Start of operation	August 2021 (start of whiskey production by in-house distillation)
Official HP	Shinozaki Corporation, SHINDO LAB
Tours	Whisky
Merchandise 新道蒸溜所 ニューメイク 60度 200ml created by Rinker ノーブランド品 Amazon 楽天市場 Yahooショッピング メルカリ 新道蒸溜所 ニューメイク 60度 200ml created by Rinker ノーブランド品 Amazon 楽天市場 Yahooショッピング メルカリ

8-18. Kitaya Yame Distillery

A long-established sake brewing company that produces sake and shochu in Fukuoka.
The company name “Kitaya” was chosen at the time of its founding as the name of the brewery based on the company’s strong aspiration to “convey joy through sake.

Currently, the business has been passed down from the seventh generation to the eighth, with the seventh generation, Kotaro Kinoshita, concentrating on the whiskey business.

The company was the first in the world to develop a decompression distillation system for shochu, creating a highly aromatic shochu, and both sake and shochu have been highly acclaimed in international competitions.

The company has increased its support to 20,642,500 yen from a target of 1,000,000 yen through crowdfunding, with three types of newborns (non-peated, light peated, and medium peated) as returnable items.

Location	374 Honmachi, Yame-shi, Fukuoka 834-0031
Access	5 minutes drive (3 km) from Yame IC of Kyushu Expressway From JR Kagoshima Honsen Hanezuka Station, take the Horikawa Bus bound for Fukushima/Kuroki, get off at Yahara-machi bus stop, and walk 2 minutes.
Start of operation	Established in 1820
Official HP	https://www.kitaya.co.jp/
Tours	Tour
Products	Sake Kitaya, Shochu Kitaya, etc.

8-19.Oishi Sake Brewery

Oishi Shuzo Brewery is famous for its rice shochu “Oishi”. The distillation as well as the production of aged shochu will make whiskey production a smooth process.

It is already sold as “OHISHI WHISKY” in the United States. However, in the U.S., the laws for bourbon are very strict, but the laws for whiskey are a little looser. This whiskey is even listed as Whisky ADVOCATE, etc., but I think the contents are aged rice shochu. It is not found in Japan, but there are cases where it is sold in souvenir stores in the U.S.

After obtaining a manufacturing license, New Pot was released under the name “Mizukami.

Location	2-1 Osatomotomachi, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka
Access	Start of operation
Start of operation	1872 Whiskey distillation will start in 2022
Official HP	Oishi Shuzo Brewery｜Kuma Shochu Brewery at the top of Kuma River, Kumamoto Prefecture
Tours	There is a tour about shochu production.
Products	Shochu “Oishi”, Whiskey “Mizukami New Pot”, etc.

8-20. Nikka Whisky Moji Factory

The Moji factory produces barley shochu “Kanoka” and has also been producing grain whiskey since 2017. The distillation machine is very large, about 10 times larger than that of Satsumashi. The original whiskey from this factory is also used for the above mentioned “Nikka The Grain”.

Location	2-1 Osatomotomachi, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka
Access	Start of operation
Start of operation	1914 Whiskey distilling started in 2017
Official HP	Whisky distilling
Tour	Whisky
Merchandise ニッカ ザ・グレーン created by Rinker ブラックニッカ Amazon 楽天市場 Yahooショッピング メルカリ .	ニッカ ザ・グレーン created by Rinker ブラックニッカ Amazon 楽天市場 Yahooショッピング メルカリ

Nagasaki

8-21. Umegae Sake Brewery

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Umegae Shuzo, a sake brewery founded in 1787, has developed the first whiskey business in Nagasaki Prefecture.
The president, Tetsuya Nagano, his second son, Takeshi, and his third son, Taishin, and their brothers work hard to preserve tradition and produce the original whiskey.
In 2019, they will release “Yokitsuki – Reigetsu”, the first craft gin in Nagasaki Prefecture.
It uses a hybrid still made in Germany.
British malt is used, and 160 liters are produced in a 4-day per-brewing process, then packed in bourbon barrels.
As of 2023, a total of 7,000 liters or 35 barrels (enough for 10,000 bottles) will be prepared by November.
Takeshi Tsuyoshi, the master brewer, said, “First, we will follow the Scottish method and aim for a basic taste. After that, I hope to make various innovations.”

Address	317 Shiroma-cho, Sasebo City, Nagasaki 859-3237
Access	Approximately 21 minutes walk from Minamikazezaki Station exit
Commencement of operation	1787
Official HP	Umegae Sake Brewery
Tour of the brewery	Available *A minimum of 10 people is required to tour the brewery (reservation required), and the tour takes about 30 minutes.
Products	Japanese Sake Umegae YOKITSUKI ~March 2038

Representative products of Umegae Sake Brewery

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8-22. Ganjo Seseragi Brewery Hasami Distillery

Ganjo Seseragi Sake Brewery’s Sasebo distillery is located in Hasami-cho, Nagasaki Prefecture, which is famous for its Hasami-ware ceramics.
The distillery is the first distillery in Japan to be owned by Chinese capital, as its parent company is based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China.
Distilling will begin in 2023.
The distillery was founded to meet the growing overseas demand.
The mash tun, fermentation tanks, and pot stills are all made in China.
Six stainless steel fermenters.
One initial distillation and one redistillation pot still, and one small copper still for experimental use.
The staff with experience in sake brewing is in charge of distillation.
The malt used is European non-peat.
The barrels used are mainly bourbon barrels, but also sherry, oak, and cherry barrels.
In addition to the barrels in the building, a warehouse in Hasami-cho is also used for aging.
Fuji Pheasant Whiskey is available for sale.
By the way, the official website is a bit vague in Japanese.

Address	1742-12, Orishikise-go, Hasami-cho, Higashisonogi-gun, Nagasaki 859-3700
Access	12 minutes drive from Mikawachi Station (7.8 km from Mikawachi Station)
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	http://www.ganjo.jp/wwh/
Tour	Tour
Products	Fuji Pheasant Whiskey

Okinawa Prefecture

8-23. Helios Brewery, Kyoda Distillery

Helios Brewery, an Okinawan brewer, had a history of making its own whiskey in the 1980s and shipping it domestically and internationally. After the whiskey boom went down, the whiskey they were producing at that time remained in storage. 2016, Lawson approached them about selling whiskey, and they sold a limited edition of “Calendar 15 Years” and “Helios Whiskey Calendar (200ml)”. This was the beginning of Helios Brewery’s resumption of its own whiskey production.

Image source: Sake brewery tour | Helios Sake Brewery Co.

And on December 31, 2020, Okinawa’s first single malt whiskey “Kyoda Cask Strength 2020” was released.
Made from English peat malt, the malt whiskey was prepared and distilled in-house in 2017 and aged in oak barrels for three years. The label design recreates the pre-dawn atmosphere of the mountains near the distillery. The product name uses the local name “Kyoda” (許田), expressed in strong brush strokes. The single malt whiskey “Kyoda Cask Strength 2020” has a smoky aroma and deep flavor derived from peat malt. It is “cask strength” at 60.9% alcohol by volume, which remains the same as when it was released from the cask, and is not watered down.

With a long history and tradition in the production of Awamori and rum, it will be interesting to see what kind of whiskey the company will make in the future.

Location	P.O. Box 905-0024 405 Kyoda, Nago City, Okinawa, Japan
Access from Okinawa Expressway	From Okinawa Expressway After passing the Kyoda toll booth, drive for a while and you will see a road going down to the left. After passing the toll booth, you will come to Route 58. After passing through the expressway, you will see a push-button traffic light. At the end of the traffic light, there is a sign. Please go through the village of Kohenzoko and continue to the end of the road. From Route 58 (from Naha City to Nago City) There is a push-button traffic light just below the Okinawa Expressway (you can see the port of Xuden). Turn right at the signboard at the end of the traffic light and proceed through the village of Kohanzoko to the end of the road.
Start of operation	2016 (Whiskey production resumed)
Official HP	Helios Brewery Co.
Tours	Tours are available; reservations required through the website and held twice a day (1) from 11:00 a.m. and (2) from 3:00 p.m.
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Kyoda

Helios Brewery’s representative whiskey

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8-24. Shinzato Shuzo Suzaki Distillery

Founded in 1846, Okinawa’s oldest Awamori distillery, Shinzato Shuzo, built the southernmost distillery in Japan.
The ” Shinzato WHISKY ” currently on sale is a whiskey made by blending overseas blended whiskey with a few percent of the so-called “Awamori” spirits from the shinzato Shuzo brewery that have been aged for 13 years in sherry casks.

NEW MAKE Niisato, distilled in-house, will be released in April 2021. The limited edition of 350 bottles sold out immediately.
Pot stills are used in combination with those used to distill Awamori. Currently, they have three pot stills. Three types of casks are used for maturation (specifics are unknown, but probably sherry and bourbon casks), and they intend to sell it as whiskey after three years of maturation. The company produces one batch of the original whisky every day.
Newborn is scheduled to be released in June 2023.

Location	904-2161, Okinawa, Japan 3-22-8 Kosa, Okinawa City, Okinawa, Japan 12-17, Shuzaki, Uruma City, Okinawa 904-2234 12-17, Suzaki, Uruma City, Okinawa, Japan (Suzaki Plant)
Access	By car: Approximately 20 minutes from the Kitanaka Interchange toward Okinawa City, near the AEON Gushigawa Store
Start of operation	2021 (Start of whiskey production by own distillation)
Official HP	Niisato Shuzo Brewery Co.
Tours	Free of charge. Reservations must be made by phone at least one week prior to the tour date.
Products	NEW MAKE Niisato, Niisato WHISKY

Representative whiskey of Niisato Shuzo

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8-25. Kumesen Shuzo Naha Distillery

Kumesen Shuzo produces Kumesen, a famous Awamori. Currently, they are producing rice whiskey in Okinawa, utilizing the distilling technology they have cultivated for Awamori. Its name is “Okinawa ISLAND BLUE. The whiskey is matured in the subtropical climate.

Location	155 Aza-Nakaima, Naha City, Okinawa 902-0074, Japan
Access	2 minutes walk from bus terminal “Kuniba
Start of operation	Established in 1952
Official HP	Rice Whiskey Okinawa ISLAND BLUE – Kumesen Brewery (okinawabluewhisky.com) kumesen
Tours	Tour of Kumesen
Products	Okinawa ISLAND BLUE

8-26. Masahiro sake brewery

Masahiro Shuzo, famous for its awamori “Masahiro” and “Masahiro Gin,” was founded in 1881 in Shuri, a castle town of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It has now also started producing whiskey, and under the name of “Masahiro,” it has released “Early Aged Single Cask Masahiro Newborn Whiskey,” a malt whiskey aged in sherry casks.

Location	5-8-7 Nishizaki-cho, Itoman City, Okinawa, Japan
Access	About 25 minutes by car from Naha Airport
Start of operation	1965
Official HP	泡盛のまさひろ酒造 泡盛のまさひろ酒造 - 泡盛メーカー「まさひろ酒造(旧社名：株式会社比嘉酒造)」。沖縄糸満市。 。泡盛通販や古酒の製造方法と商品「まさひろ」「島唄」「海人」「もろみ酢」を紹介。沖縄観光の工場見学なら泡盛まさひろギャラリーがおすすめ www.masahiro.co.jp
Tours	Awamori Masahiro Gallery: Awamori Brewery Tour near Naha Airport (awamori-masahiro.com)
Merchandise	Masahiro, Masahiro Gin, Masahiro