List of Japanese Whisky Distilleries (Updated November. 2025. 117 locations in total)

1. Hokkaido Region

1-1. Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery

Nikka Whisky founder Masataka Taketsuru, known as the father of Japanese whisky, started operations at this distillery in 1936 in search of his ideal home for whisky making.

Masataka Taketsuru believed that a cool and humid climate similar to that of Scotland, rich water sources and dignified, clean air were essential for ideal whisky production, and selected Yoichi, located at the base of the Shakotan Peninsula west of Otaru, from a variety of candidate sites.

This whisky distillery can truly be called the starting point of Nikka Whisky.

Location.	046-0003 7-6, Kurokawa-cho, Yoichi-cho, Yoichi-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	2-3 min walk from JR Hokkaido Yoichi Station. 30 mins drive from Otaru City. Approximately 1 hr 30 mins from Sapporo by car. Approx. 2 hr 30 mins from New Chitose Airport by car.
Start of operation	1936
Official website	Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery
Visiting	General public tours / Guided tours of the distillery are available by appointment only. *If a state of emergency is declared or priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease are issued or applied to an area in Hokkaido, tours and business (restaurants and shops) will be suspended until the measures are lifted.
Products	Single malt Yoichi
Shop attached to the distillery	Yoichi distillery Tasting bar Nikka Kaikan Restaurant Barrels

Representative whiskies of Yoichi Distillery.

https://jpwhisky.net/catalog/nikka/

More information about the distillery

If you want to know even more about the distillery, click here↓.

余市蒸溜所(ニッカウヰスキー)｜蒸留所詳細情報

日本で２番目に開設されたウイスキー蒸溜所「ニッカウヰスキー　余市蒸溜所」竹鶴正孝は、鳥井信治郎と共に「山崎蒸溜所」を開設後、スコットランドで学んだウイスキーづくりを一切の妥協なく再現するため、スコットランドに似た気候と自然環境を求め、たどり...

jpwhisky.net

1-2. Kenten Jitsugyo Akkeshi Distillery

The Akkeshii Distillery was set up as a new business separate from the company’s core business by Kanten Jitsugyo Co.
With a strong desire to ‘make whisky like Islay malt using traditional Scottish methods’, the distillery has installed equipment made by Forsyth in Scotland.

As with the whisky production on Islay, water that has passed through peat layers is used for the brewing water, and the whisky is matured daily on Akkeshi, a cool, wet and sea-breezed place.

The 24 Season Series releases whiskies bearing the names of the seasons (e.g. vernal equinox and summer solstice), which further divide spring, summer, autumn and winter into six parts. single malt and blended alternatives are released every three months and are highly popular.

As mentioned below, there are plans to build another distillery in Furano, and all-Hokkaido whisky is well on its way to becoming a reality.

Location.	088-1124 4-109-2 Miyazono, Akkeshii-cho, Akkeshii-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	15 minutes by taxi from JR Akkeshii Station. From Kushiro Airport to JR Kushiro Station, 50 mins by Akan Bus. From JR Kushiro Station to JR Akkeshii Station, approx. 50 mins by JR Nemuro Line.
Start of operations	Distillation started in October 2016.
Official website	Kakuten Jitsugyo K.K. Akkeshi Distillery
Tours	Organised by the Akkeshii Taste Terminal Concilier. Click here for application and details.
Products	Akkeshii Newborn 1-4, Akkeshii Whisky Saron Kamui, Single Malt Whisky Kankuro, Blended Whisky Amemizu, Single Malt Japanese Whisky Glauber, Blended Whisky Kisetsu, Single Malt Rittou, Blended Whisky Daichan, etc.

More information about the distillery

If you want to know more about the distillery, click here↓.

厚岸蒸溜所（堅展実業）｜北海道地方｜蒸留所詳細情報

北海道の東部、厚岸町で2016年に操業。アイラモルトのようなジャパニーズウイスキーを目指し、伝統的なスコッチウイスキーの製法を採用。アイラ島の気候に似た厚岸の地で熟成。厚岸二十四節気シリーズは愛好家からの評価も高い。厚岸蒸溜所の製造スペック...

jpwhisky.net

1-3. Kenten Jitsugyo Furano Distillery

The Akkeshii distillery is one of the leading craft whisky producers in Japan. Kakken Jitsugyo chose Furano as the site for its second distillery.

The distillery has been producing using barley from Furano for some time and has also been experimentally maturing its whisky in Furano.
Once the project was abandoned because it did not meet the town’s drainage standards, but a new candidate site was selected in the Nakafurano area.
The trademark has already been registered as [Furano Distillery].

It has already been decided that the whiskey from Akkeshii, which is matured in Furano, will be released in 2025.

 

Location.	Nakafurano Town, Hokkaido
Access.	Nakafurano Town, Hokkaido
Start of operations	From 2027 at the earliest
Official website	ー
Tour	To be determined
Products	ー

1-4 Hakkai Brewery Niseko Distillery

Hakkai Brewery (Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture), which produces Hakkaiyama sake and other Japanese sake, established a local subsidiary ( Niseko Distillery Co., Ltd.) in 2019.
Construction of a whisky distillery in Niseko Town, Hokkaido, started in April 2020 and completed in December 2020. Total investment is approximately JPY 500 million.
Start of distillation on 24 March 2021. Pod stills will be made by Forsyth, Scotland, and the whisky is expected to be released after 2024.
The annual production target is approximately 90kl.

The site area is approximately 9,900 m2, and both distilleries (including a shop) and storage facilities are single-storey buildings. The total floor space is 877 m2 and 291 m2 respectively, with a wooden-style design to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
A merchandise sales corner will open by July 2021. It is planned to start selling original gin, sake and goods.
→ Grand opening on 1 October 2021. The first product, craft gin ‘ohoro GIN’, will go on sale and distillery tours will begin. ohoro means ‘to continue’ in the Ainu language. Distillery tours are available four times a day, with a maximum of 10 people per tour, by prior booking two weeks in advance until noon the day before the desired date.

Location.	Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan. 478-15 Niseko, Niseko Town, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	20 minutes drive from JR Niseko Station.
Start of operation	Distillation starts in March 2021.
Official website	Niseko Distillery
Visiting	Reservations can be made via the Niseko Distillery website (reservations can be made two weeks in advance until noon the day before the desired date).
Products	Niseko distillery
Gourmet food in the area	View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on EatingLog View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Hot Pepper View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Gurunavi See a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Yahoo!

Gourmet information around Niseko

ニセコ・ルスツ周辺で人気のグルメ ランキングTOP20 | 食べ...

ニセコ・ルスツ周辺にあるお店の中から、食べログユーザーおすすめの人気ランキングTOP20を発表！（2025年11月1日時点のランキングを表示中）グルメ ランキングは毎月更新！日本最大級のグルメサイト「食べログ」では、ユーザーの口コミ・評価か...

tabelog.com

Accommodation and tour information around Niseko Distillery

ニセコ・ルスツのホテル - 宿泊予約は＜じゃらん＞

じゃらんならおすすめ宿のお得な期間限定プランが満載。当日／直前のオンライン予約もOK。ホテル旅館の宿泊予約は国内最大級の旅行情報サイト＜じゃらん＞

www.jalan.net

1-5 Kamui Whiskey Company Rishiri Distillery

American entrepreneur Casey Wall has been visiting Rishiri many times for several years on trips and other occasions. He overlapped the island of Rishiri with the island of Islay, which is famous for its whisky production, and decided to make whisky in Rishiri, the northernmost island in Japan, in 2019 because of its rich nature and cool climate, which are similar.

He is enthusiastic about producing something that expresses the nature of the island. The distillery was built along the Kamii coast on the western side of the island, where the view of Rebun Island and the Sea of Japan can be seen. The facilities, including the distillery and office, are approximately 180 square metres in size. It is a one-storey wooden structure with black-painted walls and two distillation machines hand-made by craftsmen in the USA. Barley from Hokkaido and the UK is used as the raw material, and approximately 6,000-10,000 litres are produced annually. Project costs are undisclosed.

To date, only the new make has been sold and the maturation status is unknown; the whisky is scheduled for release in 2025.

Location.	097-0401 128-2, Aza Kamii, Kutsugata, Rishiri-cho, Rishiri-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	50 minutes by plane from New Chitose Airport to Rishiri Airport (*seasonal flights). Approximately 6 hours by car from Sapporo to Wakkanai, and 1 hour and 50 minutes by ferry from Wakkanai to Rishiri Island.
Start of operations	Distillation is scheduled to start in September 2022.
Official website	Kamui Whisky
Tours	Tour of the distillery
Products	Kamui Original Sake (New Make)

1-6.MAOI Corporation Maoi Distillery

Location.	Kagadori, Naganuma-cho, Yubari-gun, Hokkaido 069-1316, Japan
Access.	About 10 minutes by car from Furuyama Station, 1 hour on foot.
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2022
Official website	Maoi Distillery
Visiting	Reservations can be made via the official website of the Umaoi Distillery: “Tours are held twice a day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 13:00 to 15:00”.
Products	Metamorphosis (new make).

1-7. BEHIND THE CASK Dee Tripper Distillery

Location.	32-5 Motomachi, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0054, Japan
Access.	5-minute walk from Suehirocho tram stop.
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2023
Official website	BEHIND THE CASK
Visiting	Visit
Products	Di TRIPPER HARVEST-22.1

1-8. Venture Grain Tomakomai Distillery

Venture Whisky Company, which produces Ichiro’s Malt, a leading domestic craft whisky, is building a distillery in Tomakomai. It plans to produce ‘grain whisky’ using corn and other ingredients.

The planned opening was in spring 2025, but seems to have been delayed a little. Production will begin after completion. A site of approximately 6.6 hectares has been secured in the eastern Tomakomai area, with an expected annual production of approximately 2.4 million litres.

The plant appears to be very large in terms of facilities, is highly automated and will be operated by about three people at any one time.

All design and equipment will be by Forsyth and the plant will use the company’s continuous distillation equipment.

Location.	Kashiwabara, Tomakomai, Hokkaido 059-1362
Access.	30 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport.
Start of operation	Currently under construction, scheduled to start in spring 2025.
Official website	Official website
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-9.Cedarfield Chitose Distillery, Cedarfield, IJW, USA

IJW has acquired a site close to New Chitose Airport in the USA, which is said to be about 165,000 square metres and is scheduled to start operations as early as the end of 2024. In terms of scale, it is larger than the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido and comparable in size to the Fuji Gotemba distillery.

No detailed information has been released.
IJW seems to be a company doing something like a Kentucky bourbon bottler, but local articles say that the actual status of the company is unknown. It is said to have an incredibly large warehouse in the USA with tens of thousands of bourbon and rye whiskey barrels inside.

In Japan, the company seems to have both pot stills for malt whisky production and column stills for grain whisky production, while adhering to voluntary standards for Japanese whisky.

Location.	1007-122, 239, 241, 277 Izumisawa, Chitose City
Access.	Chitose City, Chitose
Start of operation	Scheduled to start within 2025
Official website	Official website
Tour	Tour
Products	Products

1-10. Hasegawa Sangyo Tokachi Distillery

The Tokachi Distillery was established by a new company funded by liquor importers and wholesalers Scotch Malt Sales and Shinanoya, as well as local company Hasegawa Sangyo, and is scheduled to begin production in spring 2025. The distillery is under the banner of ‘All Tokachi Whisky’.

There will be a two-storey distillery building with a total floor area of approximately 1,400 square metres, and three maturation buildings with a total floor area of over 1,000 square metres.

The annual production is around 300,000 litres. Pot stills will be manufactured by Forsyth. The total project cost is said to be approximately 700 million yen, but can a distillery be built from scratch for that amount?

A membership website ‘Tokachi Whisky Club’ has been set up for the Tokachi distillery to start operation in autumn 2025, membership fund type subscription sales have started and membership is being recruited, the owner’s casks are sold out and membership is still being offered.

The exterior of the building already appears to be completed.

Location.	Tokachi Distillery, 160-72, Mizuho-machi, Fudauchi, Makubetsu-cho, Nakagawa-gun, Hokkaido, 089-0554, Japan.
Access
Start of operation	Scheduled for autumn 2025
Official HP	Official website
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-11.Sapporo Shusei Kogyo Sapporo Factory

Sapporo Shusei Kogyo was founded in Sapporo in 1933 as a shochu liquor manufacturer. The company celebrated its 90th anniversary on 27 October 2023.
The company is famous for its shochu, such as Sapporo Soft, which is made using water from Mt Teine, nurtured by the nature of Hokkaido.

Under the concept of ‘Hokkaido, the Land of Many Delights, Hokkaido’, the company produces Kitari, an authentic shochu made from ingredients grown in the land of Hokkaido, at its factory in the town of Atsusawabe in southern Hokkaido, as well as wine, whisky, liqueur, gin and other products made from Hokkaido ingredients.

There are two types of whisky: [Sapporo Whisky] and [Ezo].
As for production, currently only grain whisky is produced. The company also uses malt and grain from overseas, while developing its own blends of whisky.

Locations.	Head office: 1-1 Hassamu 10jo, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 063-0830 Atsusawabe Factory: 383 Aza-uzurazuzu, Atsusawabe-cho, Hiyama-gun, Hokkaido 043-1238, Japan.
Access	Access
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official website	SAPPORO WHISKY – Sapporo Shusei Kogyo Co.
Tours	Tour
Products	Sapporo Whisky, Ezo

1-12. Cheung Brothers’ Enterprise [Hong Kong] Tangu Distillery

Hong Kong gin manufacturer completes whisky distillery in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, in April 2025.
Started distilling in July of the same year.

The distillery is a ‘public-private partnership’ with the town of Higashikawa in Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido, with a site area of 1834 square metres, a floor space of 507.96 square metres and a construction budget of approximately 500 million yen each to be paid by Higashikawa Town and Tangyu Distillery.

The area uses melted snow water from the Daisetsu Mountains in Hokkaido for its tap water.
The facilities will incorporate cutting-edge technology, such as the iStill, a new-generation distiller from the Netherlands that enables precise computer-controlled distillation, and a mash filter from the USA that efficiently removes water from spent mash and facilitates the re-use of the nutritious dregs.
The project aims to fuse the cutting-edge with tradition, for example by combining the traditional wooden vat fermentation process handed down in Japan.
Spanish sherry and Mizunara oak casks will be used.
Annual production of up to 60,000 litres of whisky.
There is also a tasting room at the Tan Hill distillery in Hong Kong.
The 150 m2 tasting room is located in The Mills, a renovated former spinning mill, where special tasting sessions and lectures on spirits are also held.

Location.	Head office: 301 The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street ,suen Wan,Hong Kong Distillery: Building A, 1-7-18 Higashi-cho, Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	Access
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Tankyu Distillery: Award-Winning Perfume Trees Gin & Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Visiting	Permitted *Reservations required.
Products	Perfume Trees Gin

1-13.Taiki Cosmic Glen Distillery

Construction of the distillery was announced with entrepreneur Takafumi Horie as director and Master of Whisky Shizutani.
The first cask owners have already been recruited. The distillery excels at spreading the word through social networking and information tools, such as media unveiling of the construction site and crowd-funding.

The aim is to have a locally made whisky, with the aim of burning Taiki Town peat on Taiki Town dent corn and maturing it in Taiki Town Quercus and other oak trees.

The first lot is matured in bourbon barrels. The distillery is also under construction, so we will cover the facilities and other aspects if there is further news.

Location.	18-3, Sanjo-dori, Taiki-machi, Hiroo-gun, Hokkaido.
Access.	The distillery is located at 18-3 Sanjo-dori, Sanjo, Hiroo-gun, Hokkaido.
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Instagram
Tour	Visit
Products	Products

1-14.Whisky Student Corporation Tobetsu Distillery

The distillery is located in Tobetsu-cho, Ishikari-gun, Hokkaido, in an 88-year-old wooden school building with historical value, which will be renovated and turned into a distillery with the aim of preserving it for future generations.
The distillery is small-scale (about 1/7th the size of a typical craft distillery), with 150 kg of malt per batch and a maximum annual production of 24,000 litres, but produces authentic malt whisky by single distillation and double distillation.
A style of Japanese whisky that follows the traditional Scottish process of distilling and separating the original spirit.
The area is also rich in peat and wheat cultivation, and has many aspects suitable for whisky production. By utilising local resources such as locally produced barley, Quercus crispula and peat, the company aims to produce whisky that is unique to Toubetsu.
The representative, Takashi Tanaka, has solid experience from eight years of whisky production at the Atsukishi distillery.
The company aims to start construction in June-July 2025.

Crowdfunding has supported the project to the tune of JPY 24 million, which is a major boost to the start-up.

Location.	Head office 3-11, Shinkotoni Jujo 5-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo
Access	Access
Start of operations	Production is scheduled to start in August 2026.
Official website	https://www.whisky-student.com/
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-15.Yoichi Rita Farm Sawamachi Distillery

This company produces highly regarded naturals in Yoichi.

The malt is mainly from Germany and matured in bourbon casks.
The company made an unusual sale by offering NFTs that could be exchanged for Rita Farm & Winery whisky at Furusato.

The company’s newly named distillery as Sawamachi Distillery has been in production since 2024.
The Yoichi Barley Subcommittee will be set up in 2025 to produce all-Yoichi whisky, using the town’s Mizunara oak casks, among others.

Location.	Sawamachi, Yoichi-cho, Yoichi-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	8 minutes by taxi from JR Yoichi Station.
Start of operation	Start of production in 2024
Official website	http://www.rita-farm.jp/index.html サワマチ蒸溜所 サワマチウイスキーは、北海道余市町にあるウイスキーの蒸溜所です。 ウイスキーの造り手であり農家でもある私たちは余市町の耕作放棄地（農地）で本格的な大麦の栽培を開始します。秋に収穫する余市産大麦は最新の製麦機を使い麦芽もウイスキーの造り手自ら... sawamachi.jp
Tours.	No tours are conducted.
Products	1-16.

1-16.Seibu Holdings and Karuizawa Distillers’ Manufacturing FURALISS Furaliss Distillery

FURALISS Furashi Distillery was announced by Karuizawa Distillers, which owns the Komoro distillery, on land in Furano City owned by the Seibu Group.

The two companies and Furano City have signed an agreement and the distillery is scheduled to open in 2028.

Location.	2204-1, Aza Furano-shiri-kishibanai, Furano City, Hokkaido
Access.	Access
Start of operation	From 2028 at the earliest
Official website	Official website
Tour	Tour
Products	Products

WHISTECH Corporation Kamifurano distillery (temporary)

There is no longer a website and the plan has been scrapped.

The plan is to build a facility with camping, spa and distillery tours, as well as distillery consulting services.
As the distillery has not yet been built, consulting and other services will probably have to wait, but it appears to incorporate a distillery as part of the entertainment facilities. After distillation, the distillery will be matured in Mizunara and owner’s casks using NFT will be sold in the future.

Other things related to the whisky business, such as Mizunara cask sales and stick sales, appear to be already in motion.

2025/5/27 Postscript.
The company’s website is now under maintenance. Unclear whether plans are ongoing.

Location.	Kamifurano Town, Sorachi District, Hokkaido
Access.	Kami Furano Town, Sorachi County, Hokkaido
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Kamifurano distillery and surrounding entertainment facilities project – WHISTECH Co.
Tour of the distillery	Tour
Products	Products

Age Co. Hokkaido Whisky Co.Chitose Distillery

Due to rising construction costs, news of the abandonment of construction came on 9 July 2024.

The parent company is AZE, which operates the Benizakura and Chitose distilleries.
It seems that a whisky distillery and a sake brewery will be built on a site adjacent to New Chitose Airport, the gateway to Hokkaido.
The site is 6034.76 m2, on the former parking lot of the Chitose Outlet Mall Rera.

Image credit: AZE holding.

Location.	1 Kashiwadai Minami, Chitose City, Hokkaido
Access.	Close to JR Minami Chitose Station.
Start of operation	Scheduled to start operation in 2026.
Official website	https://chitosedistillery.com/
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

2. Tohoku region (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu)

Miyagi Prefecture

2-1. Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery

It has been about 30 years since Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky and the father of Japanese whiskey, opened the first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Masataka Taketsuru, who believed that “Whisky becomes richer and richer by blending multiple whiskies produced at different distilleries,” began to search for a new distillery site.

The site, located near the border with Yamagata Prefecture, is a lush green valley blessed with two clear streams ,the Hirose River and theShinkawa River. When Taketsuru first visited the area, he drank a bottle of Black Nikka he had in the clear waters of the Shinkawa River and confirmed the taste. It is said that he decided to build the distillery on the spot.

Location	Sendai, Miyagi 989-3433 1 Nikka, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi
How to get there	<Train From JR Sendai Station to Sakunami Station on the JR Senzan Line (1 train every hour): approx. 40 min. On Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, a shuttle bus runs from JR Sakunami Station to Miyagikyo Distillery (round trip) *Takes about 7 minutes one way. <Bus From Sendai Station, take a city bus bound for Sakunami Onsen and get off at Nikka Bridge *Trip time: approx. 60 min.
Start of operation	1969
Official HP	Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Open to the public / Guided tours of the distillery are available by reservation only. *Tours of the distillery, which had been temporarily suspended, will resume on July 17, 2020 (Friday) with some restrictions.
Merchandise	Single Malt Miyagikyo

Representative whisky of Miyagikyo distillery

Detailed distillery information

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

Yamagata Prefecture

2-2. Kinryu Yuza Distillery

The highest quality Japanese whiskey that the world longs for, from right here in Yamagata.

Ltd., which operates the Yuza Distillery, was founded in 1950 as a joint venture by nine Japanese sake breweries in Yamagata Prefecture. The company produces neutral spirits called brewing alcohol and Kou-type shochu made with a continuous distillation machine.

Kinryu is Yamagata’s only manufacturer specializing in shochu, but when it considered the declining consumption of shochu and sake, and the population problems in Yamagata Prefecture, it took on the whiskey business as a new venture for the future.

In February 2022, “YUZA First edition 2022” was released. Limited edition of 8,500 bottles.

YUZA First edition 2022″ was created with the strong belief that “YUZA will mature to its full potential” and “YUZA will focus on offering only products that meet the definition of Japanese whiskey”. The time of dawn has finally arrived.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

We then release new products once or twice a year.

Location	999-8302 20 Kakujita, Yoshide, Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata
Access	From JR Niigata Station to JR Yuza Station by train (approx. 2hr 25min) Approximately 25 minutes on foot from JR Yuza Station (5 minutes by car)
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kinryu Yuza Distillery Co.
Tours	No public tours are scheduled for the time being.
Products	YUZA First Edition 2022, YUZA Second Edition 2022, YUZA 2023, and

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Typical whiskies from the Yuza distillery

Detailed distillery information

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

2-3. TATENOKAWA SHUZO GAKKOGAWA Distillery

Tadenokawa Shuzo Corporation, famous for its sake “Tadenokawa”, has established a whisky business subsidiary (Gekkogawa Distillery Corporation) and will operate Gekkogawa Distillery.

The distillery plans to produce a high quality single malt of classical authenticity with “Shonai-produced whiskey” utilizing the abundant water from the Gekkogawa River system and the delicate technology cultivated in sake brewing.

As for equipment, a stainless steel thermal tank with temperature control is used for the fermentation tank. The pot still is made by Miyake Seisakusho. The first distillation still is characterized by a very narrow distiller.

Distillation is scheduled to begin in September 2023, with single malt production targeted for around 2027.
The daily brewing volume is 400 kg of malt, and the company aims to produce 60,000 liters per year with 250 brewing cycles.

The planned distillery construction site is in Yusa-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture. Yusa Distillery” of Kinryu Co. already exists in Yusa Town, and it seems that they intend to work together to make Yusa Town a whiskey town.

Location	Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	About 30 minutes walk from Yuza Station Station
Start of operation	September 2023
Official HP	Gekkogawa Distillery HP
Visiting the distillery	Tour of Gekkogawa Distillery
Products	Blended Whiskey to be released in 2024, Single Malt in 2027

2-4.Dewa Co.  Dewa Distillery

The distillery is surrounded by a majestic mountain range that belongs to a national park in Yamagata Prefecture, and is surrounded by pristine forests in abundant nature. The magnificent nature circulates water and brings blessings to the surrounding area.

Not much information is available on the distillery as if it is not yet completed, and the building appears to be a reuse of a building that was previously used for another purpose.

As of October 2025, the website has not been updated and is unknown.

Location	40-1, Oaza-Oguni-Osaka-cho, Oguni-cho, Nishi-Oshiki-gun, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	Ookuni-Osakamachi 40
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Dewa Distillery Official HP
Tour of the distillery	Tour of the distillery
Products	Products

Fukushima Prefecture

2-5. Sasanokawa Sake Brewery, Asaka Distillery

Sasanokawa Brewery, which operates the Asaka Distillery, was founded in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture in 1765 and has been a long-established brewery for about 250 years. It obtained a license to produce whiskey in 1946, soon after the end of World War II, and was producing whiskey until around 1980.

Following the resurgence of the whiskey boom since the 2010s, the company decided to establish a full-scale malt whiskey distillery in 2015 and purchased a still from Miyake Seisakusho that could be delivered within a year. The following year, in 2016, we decided to resume distilling original sake at the Asaka Distillery, which was equipped with a sake cellar.
The oldest craft whiskey in Tohoku, the Asaka Distillery will release its first single malt ” Asaka The First ” in December 2019 after restarting operations.
In 2022, the distillery will install wooden fermenters, and in 2025, it will release its first wooden fermented product.

 

	1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima 963-0108 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima
Access by train	＜By train 10 minutes drive from JR Koriyama Station Approx. 10 min. walk from JR Azeki-Nagamori Station
Commencement of operations	2016
Official HP	Sasanokawa Brewery Asaka Distillery Official Twitter
Visiting the distillery	By appointment only
Products	Single Malt Asaka Series

Representative whiskies of Asaka Distillery

Distillery Details

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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2-6. tenkyo Co. Tenkyo Distillery

Bandai” is a famous mountain. Bandai, an active volcano, is a cradle of harsh yet magnificent nature, rich in seasonal changes. Tenkyo Distillery was completed at the foot of the volcano.

The distillery is located near the Bandai Nishiyamaroku Spring Group, which springs from the majestic nature at the foot of Mt. Bandai, and uses Ryugasawa spring water, selected as one of the 100 best waters in Japan, as its brewing water.

The distillery covers a total area of 2,800 square meters, and is equipped with two types of fermentation tanks (wooden and stainless steel) and a distiller that heats and cools the distillate in four different ways.

A limited quantity of blended whiskey, aged in Aizu from the original Scottish spirit (new make), was released.

A limited quantity of blended whisky matured in Aizu from the original Scottish brew was put on sale.

	6841-11, Nakasonehira, Sarashina, Bandai-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima
Access	Location
Start of operation	As of February 2024
Official HP	Tenkagami Distillery
Tour	Tour of Tianjing Distillery
Products

2-7. CTI Ascend Co. Tamano Ascend Distillery

The concept of this distillery is “Whiskey grown from the soil. Distillation takes place at the local abandoned school, the former Tamano Elementary School.
The distillery is a unique and sustainable distillery that came from a different industry, the construction industry, and grows its own corn and rye, the main raw materials, and uses them as ingredients.

The distillery won the New Distillery of the Year award at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition 2025.

Construction Technology Institute, Inc. has been training in whiskey production techniques and experimentally cultivating corn on decontaminated farmland since 2020 in order to contribute to the recovery of the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　This project involves the cultivation of corn seedlings on decontaminated farmland in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, using sewage sludge as fertilizer, and the production and sale of whiskey made from this corn. The whiskey production is planned to be carried out in an abandoned school building in Soma City.
　By using sewage sludge as fertilizer and whisky pomace as livestock feed and fertilizer, we aim to build a sustainable business based on resource recycling. We also aim to contribute to the reconstruction and revitalization of the region through the implementation of projects utilizing unused land and abandoned school facilities.

Reference: HP of the Construction Technology Institute Co.

Location	976-0154, Japan 74 Aza-machi, Tamano, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
Access	Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
Start of operation	Currently under preparation
Official HP	Official website
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

Akita Prefecture

2-8. DreamLink Co.  Akita Distillery

There has been no further report since then, and it is possible that the construction schedule has been scrapped.

Restaurant chain DreamLink has announced plans to build a distillery of Akita whiskey in the suburbs of Akita City, with construction scheduled to begin in April 2022 and be completed by the end of the same year, with products to be shipped in 2025, but as of 2024, the status of the project is unknown.
The planned construction site is 38,500 square meters, including private land around the former Iwami Elementary School site, about 30 minutes by car from Akita Station and Akita Airport. How much of this will be used has not yet been determined, and the size of the site and building has not been decided at this time.
The construction cost of the distillery is expected to be around 400 to 500 million yen. Part of the funds will be raised through crowdfunding. The goal is to produce 21,000 liters of whiskey per year. After that, they intend to invest several hundred million yen more in business expenses to build tourist facilities including restaurants and lodging facilities.
The project is supervised by Kenichi Sato, the owner-bartender of BAR Le Veil in Akita City.

Whiskey distillery, DreamLink, in the suburbs of Akita City.

Iwate Prefecture

2-9.Nanbu Bijin Co. NANBUBIJIN DISTILLERY

The brewery, famous for its sake Nanbu Bijin, started production. This is the first craft whiskey distillery in Iwate Prefecture.
Obtained a spirits production license in 2021, and a whiskey production license in 2023.
Nanbu Bijin Craft Gin won a gold medal at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition 2022. As for whiskey production, it has already started in 2023 and will make a big announcement in 2024.

Iwate’s first whiskey distillation and barrel storage facilities are installed on the same site as the brewery where Nanbu Bijin sake is brewed.
The first distillation unit will be the first copper copper pot still from Yokoyama Engineering of Japan.

The theme of the whiskey is to express the world view of sake in the whiskey and to have the same “beautiful and clean” taste as the same sake.
The distiller also insists on using only Japanese ingredients for storage in the cellar.

Location	Head Office Warehouse] 028-6101 13 Aza Kamimachi, Fukuoka, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture Basenkyo warehouse] 67-30 Uenodaira, Shimotome, Ninohe, Iwate 028-6102 67-30, Uenodaira, Shimotome, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture
Access
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	https://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/tsumikasane/whisky/
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

3. Kanto region (inc. Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures)

Saitama Prefecture

3-1. Venture Whisky Co. Chichibu Distillery

Chichibu Distillery started operation in 2008, and in just a few years has become the world’s leading whiskey maker of ” Ichiro’s Malt “.
Toa Shuzo”, which was run by the father of the founder “Ichiro Hido”, owned the Hanyu distillery and was producing whiskey. When Mr. Hido took over in 2001, the business was in a slump, and it was transferred to “Hinode Trading” in 2003. At that time, the decision was made to withdraw from the whiskey business, and the stored whiskey was in danger of being disposed of. The company scrambled to find a buyer and succeeded in obtaining cooperation from the Sasanogawa Brewery, and was able to move the whisky stored at the Hanyu distillery to a rented storage facility. Later, together with the Sasanokawa Brewery, they began selling whiskey made from the Hanyu distillery’s original sake.
In 2004, Mr. Hido established Venture Whiskey Co., Ltd. and in 2007, completed a whiskey distillery in Chichibu, which is his hometown and a good environment for sake brewing.

Whiskey Festival 2019 Exhibit. We were able to sample some of the products from the previous releases. There was always a line at the booth, showing the popularity of Ichiro’s Malt.

Location	Chichibu, Saitama 368-0067 49 Midorigaoka, Chichibu-shi, Saitama
Access from Chichibu	＜By train 15 minutes by cab from Chichibu Railway Minano Station. 20 minutes by cab from Seibu-Chichibu Station on the Seibu Line. <Car Take the Kanetsu Expressway Hanazono Interchange toward Chichibu. Go straight on the Minano Yorii Toll Road. Pass through the toll booth and take the second exit. Go straight at the intersection Otsuka and turn right at the next intersection Check the sign for Midorigaoka Industrial Park and proceed.
Start of operation	2007 (the first year of operation)
Official HP	Chichibu Distillery Facebook page
Tours	For professionals only. No public tours.
Products	Ichiro’s Malt Quercus Wood Reserve Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries Ichiro’s Malt & Grain…etc.

Typical whiskies of Chichibu Distillery .

Detailed information about the distillery

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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2-2.Venture Whisky Chichibu No.2 Distillery

In 2018, the Chichibu 2nd distillery operated at a location about 400 meters away from the Chichibu distillery.
At the second distillery, the fermentation tanks were changed from Quercus crispula to French oak. In addition, the pot still was changed from indirect heating by steam to direct heating by gas.
The distillery’s production volume is about five times that of the first distillery, 160 liters of alcohol equivalent per day, while the second distillery produces 800 liters of alcohol equivalent per day.
Ichiro’s malt is currently difficult to obtain, but with the start of operations at the second distillery, the production volume is expected to increase significantly and the distribution volume of products will also increase.

Distillery Details

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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3-3. Toa Shuzo Hanyu Distillery

Toa Shuzo had suspended whiskey production in 2000 due to the sluggish whiskey market. Although the company once shut down operations due to poor business performance, it decided to rebuild its whiskey business, as its mainstay sake has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad over the past few years and its business foundation has gradually stabilized.
The company decided to rebuild its whisky business, and since it still had hand-drawn drawings of the pot stills from those days, it asked the same production company to manufacture them as before. With various conditions in place, the Hanyu distillery was reopened in February 2021 for the first time in about 20 years, and in-house distillation was carried out.

They have already released a single malt and started selling it under the name of Hanyu Genesis.

Location	4-1-11 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama 348-0054 4-1-11 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama
Access from the nearest station	Access from the nearest station Tobu Isezaki Line “Hanyu Station 5 minutes on foot from “Hanyu Station” of Chichibu Railway Access from the nearest IC 15 minutes by car from “Hanyu IC” of Tohoku Expressway
Start of operation	1946 – October 2004 (operation until 2000) Resume operation from February 2021
Official HP	Toa Brewery Co.
Tours	Yes
Product	Golden Horse Bushu Golden Horse Musashi Whiskey Kabuki Hanyu Genesis

Hanyu Distillery’s representative whiskey .

3-4. Hikari Shuzo Konosu Distillery

The distillery will start operation in 2020. Konosu distillery is located one hour from Tokyo station without transferring trains, making it the most accessible distillery from the city center.
The building has a Scottish style and has a different atmosphere from other distilleries in Japan.
The mash tun (saccharification tank) and pot still (distillation machine) are made in Scotland by Forsyth. The pot stills are two units with a lantern head type 5,500 L for the first distillation and a bulge type 3,600 L for the second distillation, characterized by their straight, low necks and downward pointing line arms. There are six washbacks (fermenters) in total, all made of stainless steel and fermented for four to five days.
Currently, English malt is used. Both non-peated and peated malts are used in the brewing process. The malt is milled at a ratio of 2:7:1 (husk:grits:flour). They hope to use barley from Konoha in the near future.
The company has one aging cellar, which is mainly a dunnage-type, bourbon-barrel aging facility.
They are taking their time in production with the goal of sales after 2025.
They are also experimenting with experimental elements such as rice whiskey, grain made from rye and wheat, malt smoked with manuka wood, and aging in a jar for shochu.

They have stated that more than 90% of their whisky is for export, so there will likely be few opportunities to drink it in Japan.

Location	369-0133 625 Kotani, Konosu-shi, Saitama
Access	20 minutes walk from JR Kitano-Konosu Station
Start of operation	2020
Official HP	Hikari Sake Brewing Company Official Facebook The website is currently under construction.
Tours	Not available at this time. Scheduled to begin around 2025. Tasting, sales, and a café will be set up.
Merchandise	Products

Ibaraki Prefecture

3-5. Kiuchi Sake Brewery Nukuda Brewery/Yasato Distillery

Founded in 1823 in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kiuchi Shuzo produces sake, Kikumori, as well as shochu, wine, liqueurs, and craft beer, Hitachi-no Nest Beer.

In 2016, the company began producing a whiskey unique to Hitachino by utilizing Kaneko Golden, a fantastic Japanese beer wheat that was revived in the process of making Hitachino Nest Beer. After maturation, it was first offered at directly managed stores, and in April 2019, it was commercialized as a highball in a can.

Then, to further pursue Japanese whiskey making, we built the Yatsugo Distillery at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba and started operation in 2020.

Location	315-0151, Ishioka, Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture 1300-8 Sugama, Ishioka-shi, Ibaraki
Access from Ishioka City	＜By train 35 minutes by cab from Ishioka Station on the JR Joban Line <Car Approximately 20 minutes from the Tsuchiura Kita IC of Joban Expressway via Fruit Line. From Joban Expressway “Chiyoda Ishioka IC”, approx. 20 min. via Fruit Line Approx. 20 minutes from Joban Expressway “Ishioka-Omigama Smart IC” via Fruit Line
Start of operation	2020 Yago Distillery (Nukada Brewery will start distilling in 2016)
Official HP	Kiuchi Brewery, Yago Distillery
Tour	Tour of Kiuchi Brewery
Products	Products

Typical craft beer from Ysato Distillery

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Typical Whiskey from Ysato Distillery.

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3-6.Meiri Shurui Co. TAKAZO Distillery

Meiri Sakarui Co., Ltd. a general liquor manufacturer, obtained a license to produce whiskey on September 26, 2022.
The distillery started whiskey production in 1952, but returned the license about 60 years ago due to a fire at the factory. Since then, the company has given up whisky production.

As for single malt, we plan to organize experiences and tasting events at the distillery so that customers can enjoy the process of growing up as Japanese whiskey with us, from 0 months, 6 months, 1 year, 1.5 years, 2 years, and 3 years.

Copper is incorporated inside the distillation machine to remove sulfides and clear the finish, and mash tuns are installed that have been assembled and tested for production overseas.
The mash tun has been assembled and tested overseas. The current plan is to use American white oak bourbon barrels and sherry barrels for aging. In the future, the company plans to increase the variety of barrels to produce various types of sake.

Production will begin at the end of September, with malt whiskey made from barley malt and grain whiskey made from rice, taking advantage of the brewery’s strengths.

First, the company plans to release NewPot, a single malt, and to produce and sell blended whiskey blended with Scottish malt whiskey.

Location	338 Motoyoshidamachi, Mito, Ibaraki 310-0836, Japan 338 Motoyoshidamachi, Mito-city, Ibaraki, Japan
Access	By car: 15 minutes from Mito Minami IC on Kita-Kanto Expressway
Start of operation	September 2022
Official HP	Official website of Meiri Sake Brewery Co.
Tour	Tour
Products	Premium Craft Gin “Wa GIN

Representative products of Meiri Brewery

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Tochigi Prefecture

3-7. Nishibori Sake Brewery Co. Nikko Kaido Oyama Distillery

The brewery has a long history and was founded in 1872.
The company’s policy is to “incorporate the brewing techniques of national and Japanese sake” in keeping with its roots, which are its greatest appeal as a sake manufacturer.
In the fermentation process of distilled spirits, we use pure domestic sake yeast, and we also use a special brewing process that incorporates ideas from sake brewing.
The use of sake yeast also changes the sulfur and off-flavor, so the pot still is also specially designed.
This is an original distillation still modified by applying copper plates to the inside of a Japanese-made stainless steel distillation still.
Because it is stainless steel, it can be used for both atmospheric distillation and decompression distillation, and both direct and indirect steam heating can be used together, so there are many options for distilling different types of sake.

The grains used for distillation are rice flour, which is produced when sake rice is polished.

Single malt whiskey fermented and distilled from 100% malt at our own distillery
(2) Single grain whiskey fermented and distilled with malt and rice flour at our distillery
Domestic spirits (craft vodka, craft gin) fermented and distilled with sake yeast
These three types of spirits are currently being produced.

The company has already released its first new product, Tetsu, the first Japanese whiskey from Tochigi Prefecture.

Location	1452 Oaza-Awamiya, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture
Access	Approx. 50 minutes from JR Tokyo Station to JR Oyama Station by Shinkansen bullet train
Start of operation	2022
Official HP	Nikko Kaido Oyama Distillery Official HP
Visiting the distillery	Reservations can be made at the official HP Reservations must be made at least 7 days in advance for a 1-hour course from 14:00-15:00.
Merchandise	Yume Nikko Vodka

Typical product of Nishibori Brewery

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3-8. Yasui Shoten Co. Stork valley Distillery

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Yasui Shoten, a liquor wholesaler in Ibaraki Prefecture, opened a whiskey distillery inside group company Nozaki, a liquor wholesaler.
Distilling will begin in the summer of 2023.
STORK VALLEY” stork, which is the name of the distillery, means stork and is a symbol of nature in Oyama City, and is named after the storks that have successfully bred in the artificial nest tower in the Watarase Yusuichi.
The brewery does not use imported sake, but only its own sake, and it also makes use of its own craft beer brewing know-how in the formulation of yeast and malt.
The barrels used are made of cedar, cypress, and mizunara oak grown in Nikko.
The company aims to sell about 12,000 bottles a year, and is considering using Mashiko-yaki, a specialty of Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture, for the bottles.
In addition, the company obtained a license in January to produce whiskey, spirits, and liqueurs, and is also working on craft gin brewing.
It is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2023, using prefectural products such as yuzu from Motegi Town, Kunimi oranges from Nasu Karasuyama City, sansho and wasabi from Nikko City, mulberries from Oyama City, and blueberries from Nasu Town.

Location	P.O. Box 323-0034 4-1-53 Kamitoriya, Oyama-shi, Tochigi
How to get there	From Oyama Station, take the bus bound for Mamada Station West Exit. Get off at Oyama Daisan Elementary School North
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	Stork Valley Distillery, a distillery in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture (stork-valley-distillery.com)
Visiting	Undecided
Product lineup	Undecided

Chiba Prefecture

3-9. Sudo Honke

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This traditional brewery has been in business since 1885.
It is famous for its “Amanohara,” brewed with Kururi’s famous water, the only water selected from Chiba Prefecture in the “100 Best Waters of the Heisei Era.
In 2018, it became the first brewery in Chiba Prefecture to obtain a license to produce whiskey.
Only one bottle of “Boso Whiskey” has been released.
According to the official comment, “It is a blend of our own malt and British Scotch secured through our own channels, resulting in a less smoky and more gorgeous sweet aromatic flavor that the Japanese like.” The official comment is that it is “a blend of our own malt and English scotch secured through our own channels.
Since the order of the ingredients is grain and malt, it is assumed that the grain is highly weighted and the main ingredient is English malt base alcohol.
The product was crowdfunded in an unusual way: it was packaged and sold in 4L, 8L, and 50L American oak casks.
Incidentally, only the 50L casks were sold at cask strength of 65% alcohol by volume.
What looks like a distiller was shown in the images on the site, but the actual equipment is not very clear.

Location	16-10 Aoyanagi, Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture
Access	15 minutes walk from Kururi Station on JR Kururi Line
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Sudoh Honke Official HP
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Boso Whisky

Representative products of Sudoh Honke

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3-10. mitosaya herb garden distillery

Image source: Official Instagram

Hiroshi Eguchi, former owner of the bookshop Utrecht, founded mitosaya in 2016 after studying under Christoph Keller of the Steelemühle distillery, master distiller of Monkey 47, which once revolutionized gin, in 2013.
The former town-owned medicinal herb garden has been renovated and repurposed as a guesthouse, event space, etc., with an office building and training building renovated.
The site covers an area of approximately 5,000 tsubo.
It is managed by a group of eight creators, including Shigeharu Asagiri, head of COEDO Brewery, and Yasutsugu Ishiwata, producer of Blue Bottle Coffee.
On weekends, it runs an unmanned fruit stand where fruits grown by neighborhood residents are sold, as well as new products.
Since its first release in 2019, the company has worked on more than 100 different spirits.
They farmed the land from scratch, rolled the seeds, harvested the malt, dried it, and ground it with a millstone, and tried substituting peat with seaweed, which is also a member of the iodine family.
Only 4 liters of sake was produced, and six bottles of 500ml and 10 bottles of 100ml, for a total of 16 bottles, were sold out immediately.

Location	P.O. Box 298-0216 486, Otaki, Otaki Town, Isumi District, Chiba Prefecture
Access	20 minutes on foot from Otaki Station on the Isumi Railway
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	mitosaya herb garden distillery
Tours	openday” is held every spring and fall Unattended sales “HONOR STAND” is held on weekends Detailed dates and times will be announced on SNS, etc.
Merchandise	Each release has its own theme and concept. No regular products

Kanagawa Prefecture

3-11. Kumazawa Brewery Shonan Distillery

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The company has been making sake since 1872.
Currently the only sake brewery in Shonan.
The company’s corporate culture is “Yobarai makes Japan richer.” In addition to sake, the company also produces craft beer, organizes numerous events, and runs an interior design store and gallery.
In 2018, they started producing gin using a hybrid stainless steel distiller from Yokoyama Engineering, which can be used for both direct and indirect distillation as well as column head type decompression distillation and atmospheric distillation.
The cooling pipes can be fitted with copper plates, and the specifications can be changed between distilling gin and whiskey.
The craft gin Hakutengu-Lemongrass is released.
The company obtained a whiskey production license in 2020 and began production in 2009.
The barrels are oak barrels that used to contain the company’s own Kijo sake.
In the future, the company plans to use the barrels in a cyclical manner, from kijoshu, to whiskey, to beer, to whiskey.
Mr. Tetsuro Igarashi, a company owner of Kumazawa Shuzo, appeared as a guest on “Distillery Class,” a radio show on the theme of “distilling” run by distiller Hiroshi Eguchi on the “Podcast” content radio show on “Spotify,” and commented that the name of the whiskey he plans to release in the future is “Aka Tengu,” although the release date is still unknown. The name of the whiskey will be “Aka Tengu” (Red Tengu), although the release date is still unknown.
The 180 ml version of “whisky Aka Tengu,” which will be released as a limited sample of 100 bottles on December 1, 2023, sold out immediately.
This whisky Aka Tengu is a distillation of the Shonan beer using the highest quality malt, which will be the signature product in 2020.
It is bourbon barrel aged, but a twist has been added here as well: it is an original bourbon barrel aged with its own strengths fully utilized, made by having its own product, Shonan Beer “Imperial Stout”, put into it for one year.
The 180ml version will be 54% cask strength without addition of water.
We can’t wait for this release.
As a side note, there is an air-raid shelter on the property.

Location	7-10-7 Kagawa, Chigasaki, Kanagawa 253-0082, Japan
Access	10 minutes walk from JR Kagawa Station
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kumazawa Sake Brewery official website
Tours	Tours are available for restaurant patrons Official site
Products	Products

Typical products of Kumazawa Brewery

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Gunma Prefecture

3-12. LINK Co. Kitakaruizawa Distillery

Image source: Official Instagram

Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, the current owner-bartender of Bar LAG in Ginza, established LINK Co. in February 2022.
He will manufacture whiskey in parallel with his bar business.
Construction of the Kitakaruizawa distillery started in July of the same year.
Construction was completed in March 2023, a whiskey production license was obtained in May of the same year, and test production began in July.
The distillery is located 1,100 meters above the Amrut distillery (920 meters above sea level), which is known as “whiskey in the sky.
The distillery aims to create a unique flavor by taking advantage of the lower boiling point when distilling at a higher altitude. (Decompression distillation is equivalent to this).
The pot still is custom-made by Hwang Ho Company in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which was involved in the design, manufacturing, and adjustment of the still.
The body is a composite of stainless steel and copper, and the head is made of copper using the traditional Japanese “hera-shibori” stretching process, in which the craftsman’s skills shine through.
A single machine can also serve as both the initial distillation and redistillation.
The brewing water is groundwater from the foot of Mt.
The malt is redistilled from 1,500 liters of wort from 300 kg of distiller’s malt from Crisp Malt of England, three times the initial distillation.
One brewing per week is expected to yield approximately 20,000 liters per year.
The storage method is paratizing using pallets.
This storage method is a paratizing method, in which barrels are usually placed vertically, but since there is a high risk of leakage, the barrels are stored horizontally, a twist has been added.
The distillery is currently located at the highest altitude and has the smallest and original distiller in Japan, so there is no shortage of topics.
The owner’s casks are also being offered at the store.

WHISKY ONEYEAR” to be launched in 2024

Location	P.O. Box 377-1412 1991-127, Kitakaruizawa, Naganohara-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma
Access	Approximately 40 minutes by car from JR Karuizawa Station
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	Kita Karuizawa Distillery
Visiting	Undecided (will be open for tours as soon as it is ready)
Merchandise	Currently, NEWPOT and other products are available for sale from the official website.

3-13. makino sake brewery kurabuchi distillery

This long-established distillery, which was established in 1690 and produces Haruna’s local sake, “Taibai,” produces whiskey in its own distillation facility. The distillery has been producing rice shochu (rice liquor) for some time, and from the video, it appears that the distillation equipment is the same as that used for shochu production.

The company has already released a new single malt, Kurabuchi, in December 2023, and says that it will continue to age the whiskey and “promote it as a ‘local whiskey’ made by a regional brewery.

Not being bound by the definition of Japanese whiskey, the company will also sell whiskey blended with single malt whiskey and its own sake lees spirits.

Location	2625-1 Gonda, Kurafuchi-cho, Takasaki, Gunma 370-3401
Access	Approximately 60 minutes from Takasaki IC on Kan-etsu Expressway About 60 minutes from Maebashi IC on Kan-etsu Expressway (Google Maps shows the route) Approximately 40 minutes from Matsuida Myogi IC on Joshinetsu Expressway By public transportation Approximately 30 minutes by cab from Annaka Haruna Station on the Nagano Shinkansen Line.
Start of operation	December 2023
Official HP	Makino Sake Brewery Co.
Tour of the brewery	Tour of Makino Brewery
Products	New Make Kurabuchi

4. Chubu region (inc. Aichi, Nagano, Shizuoka, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa and Yamanashi prefectures)

Yamanashi Prefecture

4-1 Suntory Spirits Hakushu Distillery

Suntory continued to search for the best water for whisky making in order to produce a different type of malt whisky from the Yamazaki distillery. After researching all over Japan, Suntory came across Hakushu, one of the most famous water areas in Japan. In 1973, exactly 50 years after Suntory began making whiskey for the first time in Japan, Suntory’s second malt whiskey distillery, Hakushu Distillery, finally went into operation.

The Hakushu Distillery is characterized by a variety of distilleries that are unparalleled in the world.
In the fermentation process, the distillery uses wooden fermentation vats with excellent heat retention properties, and the lactic acid bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the distillery produce the unique flavor unique to Hakushu.
In the distillation process, distillation kettles of different sizes and shapes are used, and in the storage (aging) process, various types of casks are used, and a wide variety of sake is produced in all processes from preparation to fermentation, distillation, and storage (aging).

Image Source: Suntory Hakushu Distillery

Location	Hokuto City, Hokuto City, Yamanashi 408-0316 2913-1 Toribara, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture
Access from Nirasaki Station on the Chuo Main Line.	From Nirasaki Station on the Chuo Main Line, take a bus bound for Shimokyorai Ishishita and get off at Matsubarakami bus stop (several buses a day). 15 minutes by cab from Kobuchizawa Station on the Chuo Main Line. 20 minutes by shuttle bus from Kobuchizawa Station on the Chuo Main Line (limited period).
Commencement of operation	1973
Official HP	Suntory Hakushu Distillery
Tours	Factory tours are temporarily suspended. (As of December 27, 2020)
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Hakushu, Single Malt Whiskey Hakushu 18years, Single Malt Whiskey Hakushu 25 years

Representative whiskies of Hakushu Distillery .

Detailed distillery information

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

https://jpwhisky.net/hakushu-dis...

jpwhisky.net

4-2.SASAKAWA WHISKY K.K. Fugaku Distillery

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Fugaku Distillery is a whiskey distillery built at the foot of Mt.

Pot stills with wooden wash backs and direct flame heating system are custom-made by Miyake Seisakusho. The distillery focuses on drawing out the potential of yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

The cellar is of the dunnage type. The aging process is carefully carried out until the taste is satisfactory.

Fugaku Distillery is located in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, which boasts a vast site of 10,000 m2, and uses blessed subterranean water from Mt. Surrounded by forests, the site is filled with clean air and is located at an altitude of 1,000 m. The cool summer climate is ideal for whiskey making.

Location	4918-1 Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi 403-0005, Japan
Access to the distillery	8 minutes drive from Kawaguchiko IC of Chuo Expressway About 10 minutes by cab from Fujiyama Station
Start of business	–
Official HP	Fugaku Distillery Official HP
Field Trip	Scheduled to be held
Products	Products

4-3. Ide Brewery Fuji Hokuroku Distillery

Ide Sake Brewery, whose predecessor was a soy sauce brewer that began operations around 1700, was founded in the late Edo period in conjunction with soy sauce brewing.

It began producing sake, and in 2020 obtained a license to produce whiskey. The company has been experimenting with the knowledge and techniques cultivated through sake brewing.

Fuji Kitarei Distillery produces malt and grain whiskey, and aims to produce whiskey with an emphasis on aroma, using sake yeast and limpid subterranean water from Mt.

The company plans to start offering distillery tours in the future, and is crowdfunding to fund the expansion of the distillery with original glasses and new pots as return items. As of 2022, the distillery is also looking for cask owners. For more information, please click here.

The malt whiskey is made from German non-peat malt and aged in white oak bourbon barrels. The grain whisky is produced entirely with rice, producing so-called rice whisky.
Barreling is being done in 2020, with actual sales expected in 2023.

Currently, the company sells products calledFuji Hokuroku Highball and Blended Whiskey Daijukai.

Address	401-0301 8 Funatsu, Kawaguchiko Town, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi
Access	10 minutes drive from Kawaguchiko Interchange on Chuo Expressway 10 minutes walk from Kawaguchiko Station
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2020
Official HP	Ide Brewery
Tour of the brewery	Tour scheduled to be conducted
Products	Fuji Hokuroku Highball, Blended Whiskey Daijukai

4-4. Far Yeast Brewing K.K. Headwaters Distillery

The brewery is located in Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo. Famous for its beer “Far Yeast”.
As one way to upcycle beer that is on the verge of being discarded, they have introduced a distiller and use it as a raw material for craft gin, thereby producing distilled spirits without waste.
They are using this knowledge to produce whiskey.

Location	4341-1, Kosuge-mura, Kita-Tsuru-gun, Yamanashi 409-0211 4341-1, Kosuge-mura, Kitatsuru-gun, Yamanashi
Access to the distillery	Approximately 30 minutes by car from Okutama Station on the JR East Oume Line and Otsuki Station on the JR Chuo Line.
Start of business (start of distillation)	2022
Official HP	https://faryeast.com/
Tour of the brewery	Brewery with restaurant
Products	Azeotrope, etc.

4-5. Sun. Foods Nirasaki Midai Distillery

Established in 1976The company began by manufacturing food seasonings.
It was not until 2014 that the company obtained a license to manufacture whiskey.
Its three main products are “Fujigamine,” “Nirasaki” 
They are relatively inexpensive, ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 yen, and are easily accessible due to the large number of bottles in circulation.
They mainly deal in foreign-produced whiskey, and the only whiskey labeled as Japanese whiskey is Nirasaki blended Japanese whiskey.
It is very interesting to note that the attached image is for reference only. (As of May 2023, the wording is gone because the site is being renewed.)
Since there is no information on pot stills, we would like to keep a close eye on this site with high expectations for future developments.

Location	640 Minamiwari, Shimojyo, Tatsuoka-cho, Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture
Access to the distillery	The distillery is located in Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture.
Start of business	2014
Official HP	Nirasaki Midai Distillery Official Brand Site
Tour of the distillery	Tour of Nirasaki Gotei Distillery
Products	Products

Typical Whiskey of Nirasaki Imperial Distillery

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4-6. Tokuoka Holdings Minami-Alps Wine and Beverage
Fuefuki Factory

The company originated from a liquor store in town that has been in business for nearly 150 years.
About 50 years ago, the company started a wine business and has since expanded into importing, a winery business in Germany, and consulting for liquor companies in China.
It is also the distributor of the much talked-about Top Value whiskey.
The brand name “SNAZZ” is still available at Aeon-affiliated supermarkets for about 600 yen.
The lineup listed on the official website includes “Hachikuma,” “Kumataka,” “Kakutaka 5-year barrel aged,” “Kakutaka Pure Malt,” and other variations such as 2L back-in-box and 4L PET bottles.

Location	191-1 Kamiyasaku, Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi
Access to the distillery	The distillery is located in Fuefuki-Ichinomiya-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture.
Start of business	Start of business
Official HP	Southern Alps Wine and Beverage
Tour	Tour of Southern Alps Wine and Beverage
Merchandise	Products

Southern Alps Wine and Beverage Fuefuki Factory’s representative whiskey

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Nagano prefecture

4-7. Honbo Shuzo Mars Komagatake Distillery

Masataka Taketsuru is known as the father of domestic whiskey. Kiichiro Iwai of Settsu Shuzo (the creator of Mars Whiskey) entrusted the 24-year-old Taketsuru with the dawn of authentic Japanese whiskey and sent him to Scotland as his boss.

After returning to Japan, Mr. Taketsuru compiled the results of his whisky training into a “Whisky Report” and submitted it to Kiichiro Iwai. This is commonly known as the “Taketsuru Report” or “Taketsuru Notebook.

Hombo Shuzo is mainly engaged in shochu production in Kagoshima, but after obtaining a license to produce whiskey in 1949, he had a dream to “someday make real whiskey that makes the most of the Japanese climate.

In 1960, Kiichiro Iwai designed based on the “Taketsuru Notebook” and established the Mars Yamanashi Winery, a factory for wine and whiskey production. Then, in order to engage in full-scale whiskey production, he searched for an even more ideal location and operated the “Mars Shinshu Distillery” in Nagano Prefecture in 1985. Surrounded by beautiful and deep green forests at the foot of Mt. Komagatake in the Central Alps, the distillery stands in the silence of clear air.

A tasting bar with paid tastings is located in the distillery’s visitor center. You can enjoy the latest Mars Whiskey products as well as a wide range of limited editions from the past.

Exhibits at the 2019 Whiskey Festival. Iwai Tradition, Mortgage Koshaku, Komagatake Limited 2019, and new products to be released in Spring 2020 were also on display.

Formerly named “Mars Shinshu Distillery”, the distillery will change to its current name in 2024.

Location	399-4301, Miyata-mura, Kamiina-gun, Nagano, Japan 4752-31 Miyata-mura, Kamiina-gun, Nagano, Japan
Access by train	By train Take the JR Iida Line, get off at Komagane Station or Miyata Station, and take a cab for 10 minutes. By car 5 minutes from Komagane IC on the Chuo Expressway
Commencement of operation	1985
Official HP	Hombo Shuzo Mars Komagatake Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Tours are available. Application required by e-mail form or fax.
Products	Single malt whiskey Komagatake

Typical whisky of Mars Komagatake Distillery

Detailed distillery information

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

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4-8. Karuizawa Distillers Komoro Distillery

This is the first distillery operated by Karuizawa Distillers Manufacturing.

Mr. Shimaoka, a former banker, and Mr. Ian Chang, former master blender of KAVALAN distillery, teamed up to build a distillery in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture, which is the best location for a whiskey distillery due to the combination of various factors such as the climate, water quality, natural environment and local culture at the foot of Mount Asama where pure water is grown. The distillery produces only single malt.

In 2024, the distillery was chosen as the site for the World Whiskey Forum, attracting attention from around the world.

The sales method is currently to sell the product in casks and deliver it three years later.

Location of the company’s office	4630-1 Kou, Karuishi, Komoro, Nagano, 384-0801 Japan 4630-1 Karuishi, Kou, Komoro-city, Nagano, Japan
Access	10 minutes by cab from Komoro Station on the Shinano Railway 25 minutes by cab from Sakudaira Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line Shuttle bus available from the above two stations by reservation only.
Start of operation
Official HP	Komoro Distillery Official HP
Tours	Full range of tours are available, and reservations can be made by selecting a course from beginner to advanced level on the official website.
Products	Reservations for limited products are already being made.

4-9.Nozawa Onsen Distillery Co.

Philip Richards, owner of a cafe and bar in Nozawaonsen Village, will begin construction in 2021, with operations scheduled to begin in June 2022.

The goal is to create a new tourist attraction in Nozawa Onsen Village, which boasts some of the best powder snow and vast ski slopes in Japan, as well as cycling and other leisure activities during the green season, and numerous outdoor hot springs.

In addition to a distillery tour, the Nozawa Onsen Distillery will have a gift store, a craft bar where visitors can enjoy tastings, and an herb garden.

As of January 2022, the distillery plans to produce craft gin, malt whiskey, and grain whiskey. The craft gin will be distilled using a Karl distiller from Germany. It will employ the vapor infusion method using baskets, and will use as botanicals the spring water flowing down Mt. The gin will be produced under the concept of “making a gin that will remind people of Nozawaonsen-mura when they bring home a bottle as a souvenir and drink it at home.

The whiskey will be distilled using a distiller made by Knapp Lewer in Tasmania. The whiskey will be distilled in a distiller made by Knapp-Lewer in Tasmania, and will be aged until it is of high quality and satisfyingly delicious. As of January 2022, the distillery is under construction, and the distiller is expected to be installed in March.

The planned product lineup includes standard craft gin, limited-time-only gin using seasonal botanicals, high-quality single malt whiskey, grain whiskey made with wheat, buckwheat, and rice, and blended whiskey.

Location	Nozawa, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano 389-2502 9394 Toyosato, Nozawaonsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano
Access	20 minutes by cab from Togari-Nozawaonsen Station 25 minutes by car from Toyota-Iiyama I.C.
Start of operation	Distillation scheduled to begin in June 2022
Official HP	Nozawa Onsen Distillery
Tour of the distillery	Tour scheduled to be conducted
Products	Products

4-10. Totsuka Shuzo Karuizawa Whiskey Distillery

Shigeru Totsuka, the 16th president of Totsuka Shuzo (Saku City), founded in 1653, established a new whiskey manufacturing company, Karuizawa Whiskey Co. to build the Karuizawa Whiskey Distillery in Hatsuchi, Karuizawa, Kitasaku County, with construction beginning in spring 2021.

The new company was established in November 2007, privately funded by President Totsuka. The distillery and storage facility will be built on a 1.3 hectare site, with plans to produce approximately 60,000 liters of whiskey per year, aiming to begin selling whiskey in 2024. The total project cost is expected to be 700-800 million yen.
Barley, the raw material, will be grown in cooperation with local agricultural cooperatives in the Saku region and other areas, and water from the foot of Mount Asama and Mt.
The distillation process was started with Mr. Shusei Uchibori, the last malt master of “Mercian Karuizawa Distillery,” as an advisor and Mr. Miyuki Nakazato, also a whisky distiller, as the plant manager.

Location	〒389-0113 2785-318 Hatsuji, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano, Japan
Access	35 minutes walk from Shinano Oiwake Station
Start of operation	Scheduled for 2022
Official HP	Karuizawa Whiskey Co.
Tour	Whisky
Merchandise	Products

4-11.Totsuka Shuzo Miyota Distillery

Owned by Totsuka Shuzo, the same company as the Karuizawa distillery mentioned above. The building used to be a bank.
Miyota-machi is also the location of the former Mercian Karuizawa distillery, which once produced the “Karuizawa” brand of whiskey, but the distillery will take a slightly different approach to whiskey production than the current Karuizawa distillery.

It has been announced that the distillery will also become a tax return gift for Miyota-machi’s hometown tax payment in July 2025.

Location	Postal Code 389-0207 953-4 Mazeguchi, Miyota-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano, Japan
Access to the distillery	10 minutes by cab from Miyota Station of Shinano Railway
Start of business (Start of distillation)	2023
Official HP	Official website
Visiting the distillery	Tour of the distillery
Merchandise	Products

4-12.Kiyo-Kawa Co. Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery

David Traiano, a native of Italy who formerly made his living as an importer and wholesaler, established Kiyo-Kawa Co. in 2016.
In 2018, he established the agricultural corporation MOST FARM, LLC, and developed “Yukihana Rokujo,” a six-row barley for snow country.
In 2019, he opened the Iiyama Distillery to start distilling and changed the name to “Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery” in 2022.
In the initial phase, there was only one small hybrid still with a capacity of 500 liters, but a still made by Frilli of Italy and a hybrid still made by DYE of China, which were introduced for the first time in Japan, were installed.
In addition, four oak fermenters from Garberotto of Italy were installed, and stainless steel fermenters are scheduled to be introduced in the future.
Two mash tuns made by Cheiman of Germany were installed.
The bottling equipment is fully automatic, and was also made by Polaris of Italy for the first time in Japan.
Kensei” and “Nobushi,” which were popular and controversial in Russia, were released.
Currently, the Togari Onsen distillery is under construction in the adjacent area, and this distillery is scheduled to produce grain whiskey.

Location	5123-30 Toyoda, Iiyama-shi, Nagano 389-2411
Access to the distillery	Approximately 19 minutes on foot from Togari-Nozawaonsen Station exit.
Start of business	2016
Official HP	Visit the distillery
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

4-13. Kiyokawa Co. Togari Distillery

The Togari Onsen distillery is under construction in the area adjacent to the Kiyokawa Mountain Farm distillery.
This distillery will produce grain whiskey.

Location	5123-30 Toyoda, Iiyama-shi, Nagano 389-2411
Access to the distillery	Approximately 19 minutes on foot from Togari-Nozawaonsen Station exit.
Start of business	2016
Official HP	Visit the distillery
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

Shizuoka Prefecture

4-14.Kirin Distillery Fuji Gotemba Distillery

In August 1972, Kirin Seagram Company Limited was established as a joint venture (trilateral) between Kirin Brewery (Japan), JE Seagram (US), and Seabass Brothers (UK), and the following year, in August 1973, Fuji Gotemba Distillery started operation.

Fuji Gotemba Distillery has been focusing on the production of “grain whiskey,” which uses corn and wheat as raw materials for whiskey. Generally, continuous distillation is used to produce grain whiskey. Fuji Gotemba Distillery uses three types of continuous distillers, “multi-column,” “kettle,” and “doubler,” to produce various types of grain whiskey with different characteristics. Fuji Gotemba Distillery uses three types of continuous distillers, the “multi-column,” “kettle,” and “doubler,” to produce a variety of grain whiskeys.

A representative whiskey was Fuji Sanroku Barrel Aged Barrel 50°, but due to higher-than-expected demand from 2018, it became difficult to supply the raw whiskey needed for production, and the product was discontinued at the end of March 2019. No successor product was released, but “Fuji-Sanroku Signature Blend” was launched in 2017 and has been in general distribution in the domestic market since 2018 and is now the current product.

In 2016, Fuji Gotemba Distillery Single Grain Whiskey AGED 25 YEARS SMALL BATCH won the World Best Grain Award at the World Whiskey Awards 2016.
On March 31, 2017, Jota Tanaka, Master Blender at Kirin Distillery Fuji Gotemba Distillery, received the World’s Best Master Distiller and Master Blender Award in the Icons of Whisky category.
On March 27, 2020, Kirin Single Grain Whiskey Fuji 30 Year Old receives the World’s Best Grain Award at the World Whiskey Awards 2020.

Location	Gotemba, Shizuoka 412-0003, Japan 970 Shibafuda, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan
Access	Free shuttle bus service from JR Gotemba Station JR Gotemba Station, please exit the station through the ticket gates and proceed to the Otome exit. The shuttle bus stop is at the station roundabout. Exit at the Tomei Expressway Gotemba I.C. in the direction of Lake Yamanaka, and proceed straight on Route 138 for approximately 6 km to the right.
Start of operation	1973
Official HP	Kirin Distillery Fuji Gotemba Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Tours are available. For the time being, tours are available only for Shizuoka Prefecture residents. Factory tours and store will be closed from Monday, December 21 to Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Merchandise	Fuji Signature Blend, Single Grain Whiskey Fuji

Fuji Gotemba Distillery’s signature whiskey .

Distillery Details

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

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4-15. gaiaflow Co. Shizuoka Distillery

Gaiaflow Distilling Co., Ltd. purchased and acquired whiskey production equipment from Mercian Karuizawa Distillery in March 2015. The reusable equipment, including the crusher used for malt crushing and the distiller, was repaired and improved, then moved to the Shizuoka Distillery, where it was prepared for whiskey production.

In 2015, construction of the Shizuoka Distillery began in the area known as Tamagawa in the Occident (Oku-Shizuoka area) of Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and in September 2016, a license for whiskey production was obtained.
The distillery is manufacturing with three distillation units: a distillation unit (K) relocated from the Karuizawa distillery and two Scottish distillation units (W).

The distillery is in harmony with nature, with plenty of cypress grown in Oxusu used for the distillery building and fermentation tanks. The distillery aims to produce whiskey in harmony with nature, rooted in the climate of Shizuoka. There is a paid tasting corner inside the distillery, where you can enjoy not only Shizuoka Prologue Ciry, but also New Pot and other original whiskeys in the process of maturing.
Visitors can also sample a number of whiskies imported and sold by Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery, including Amrut, an Indian whisky, and Black Adder, a Scotch bottler.

Location	421-2223, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan 555 Ochiai, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Access	60 minutes from JR Shizuoka Station by Shizutetsu Just Line bus Board at bus stop “Shizuoka Ekimae”, platform 9 Get off at the bus stop “Okunoharakami” and walk 1 minute. Or, take the Abe Line (119 bound for Yokosawa) and get off at Kamisuke bus stop. 15 minutes on foot.
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery
Visiting	Tours are available. Reservations required through the tour page on the website.
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Shizuoka “Prologue K

A representative whisky of Shizuoka Distillery .

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Distillery Details

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

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4-16.Juzan Co. Igawa Distillery 

In April 2020, Jusan Corporation will be established in Tashiro, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, through an incorporation-type demerger from Tokushu Tokai Paper Mfg. The company will utilize company-owned forests in the northern part of Shizuoka City for its whiskey production business; distillation will begin in the summer of 2020, with shipments planned for 2027 and beyond; the company aims to produce “authentic” whiskey that has been aged for at least seven years, and expects to produce about 5,000 to 6,000 bottles in the first year of shipments.
The investment for the construction of the distillery is approximately 1.09 billion yen. The distillation building and aging warehouse were constructed on a site of approximately 2,000 square meters along the Oigawa River. Distillation building: 2-story steel-frame building, total area 860m2, Maturing cellar: single-story steel-frame building, 357m2.

The distillery is located at the highest altitude in Japan, and is so remote and inaccessible that general vehicle traffic is restricted. It is a “hidden region” in the sense that it is difficult to access.

There are also plans to build a hut-style aging house at a higher altitude than the distillery, reinforced with steel to prevent bears from destroying it, and release it as a mountain cask.

They have already released the Flora series of non peated casks and the peated Fauna series.

Location	Shizuoka, Japan 428-0505 1299-1 Tashiro, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
How to get there	Location
Start of operation	Distillation to begin in 2020
Official HP	Igawa Distillery｜Juzan Corporation (juzan.co.jp)
Tour of the distillery	Tour of the distillery
Products	Igawa Distillery Fauna, Flora

Representative whiskies of Igawa Distillery

4-17.Whiskey&Co.  Distillery Water Dragon

Whiskey&Co. was established in January 2021 in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward to manufacture and sell craft spirits and provide consulting services for liquor and other brands.
The company will launch a new style called “Japanese “Bourbon whisky” Style” to convey the appeal of American bourbon whiskey.
Teen Spirits” won a silver medal at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition (TWSC) in 2022.
The company is also actively involved in “FiNANCiE,” a token-issuing crowdfunding service that uses blockchain technology, which allows customers to purchase tokens to expand their access to the distillery, gain the right to become a cask owner, and purchase tokens for the “Water Gate” restaurant bar in the 97-year-old earthen warehouse that was converted into the distillery. The distillery is located on the second floor of the “Water Gate” restaurant-bar, which was renovated from a 97-year-old earthen warehouse.
The current target maturation period for the sake is three years, but depending on the maturation status, a two-year maturation period may be offered.
Two batches of 200-300 kg per batch (per day).
The grains used are in keeping with bourbon whiskey, with a mixture of maize (corn), rye, and malt.
In the future, they plan to mix mais, wheat, and malt.
One distiller is a German-made Arnold Holstein machine.
It is currently in the new-make stage, but the quality is so high that it is suitable for drinking as it is, and they are looking forward to aging it.
At the moment, they are aiming for a clean, ethereal, mellow flavor.
Distillery Water Dragon’s strengths include the ability to change the ratio of ingredients, the ability to freely choose the grains used as ingredients, and the ability to change the aroma by changing the yeast.

Currently, a newborn whiskey, Moonshine, is being sold to token holders, and a cocktail competition using Moonshine was also held.

Location	18-5 Taisha-cho, Mishima-shi, Shizuoka-ken 411-0853
Access to the distillery	15 minutes walk from JR Mishima Station
Start of business	2021
Official HP	Whiskey&Co.
Visiting	Possible (depending on tokens held)
Merchandise	TeenSpirits, On Spring

Typical Whiskey&Co. products

4-18. Tokinosumika Co. Fuji-Kaguya Distillery

It is a large company with several group companies, including hot springs, hotels, leisure facilities, and restaurants.
Fugaku Beer is famous.
Fuji Kaguya Distillery, where brewing and distilling can be done, is located in the related facility called s_pl@tt FUJISPARK, a sports facility equipped with a baseball field, gymnasium, soccer field, and other facilities for all kinds of sports, including a hotel bathhouse and restaurant.
The distillery is also home to the Fuji Kaguya Distillery, which brews and distills whisky in a sports facility complete with a hotel, baths, and restaurant. The distillery’s whisky is called “whisky the Takasago 2022,” a blend of 25-year-old spirits from the Ginpan Brewery in Toyama, 3-year-old Kuma shochu-derived spirits from Joraku Brewery in Kumamoto, and malt whisky from the Fuji Kaguya Distillery, and is released once a year.

Location	325-5 Ohbuchi, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Access to the distillery
Start of business	March 4, 1994
Official HP	s_pl@tt FUJISPARK
Visiting the distillery	Permitted→Click here for details
Merchandise	Fugaku Beer

Toyama Prefecture

4-19. Wakatsuru Shuzo Co.  Sabromaru Distillery

Wakatsuru Shuzo, which operates the Saburomaru Distillery, is a brewery with a very long history in Hokuriku, having started sake production in 1862 in Saburomaru Village, Tonami County, Toyama Prefecture.

After the end of World War II, in order to break out of a deadlock, the company conducted independent research on distilled spirits production and obtained a license to produce whiskey in 1952.

Typical whiskies from the Saburomaru distillery .

Detailed distillery information

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

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Niigata Prefecture

4-20. Yoshida Denzai Kogyo Co.　Yoshida Denzai Distillery

Established in 1940, Yoshida Denzai Kogyo K.K. manufactures and sells electrical equipment, manufactures and processes synthetic resins, and manufactures and sells medical equipment, and its subsidiary Yoshiden Co. We aim to produce high quality and honest whiskey with the technical capabilities that have underpinned Japanese manufacturers since the Showa period.

Started distilling grain whiskey exclusively in Japan. Aiming for 100% domestic production of all ingredients, using Hokkaido corn. Using Kothe’s hybrid still on a site of about 800 tsubo. Annual production is approximately 100 kL.

Yoshida Denzai Distillery plans to produce blended whiskey blended with malt whiskey from craft distilleries in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere. The distillery will differentiate itself from other craft distilleries. They are also considering grain sales to distilleries in Japan.

In addition to using a German-made hybrid pot still, the distillery will haveits ownequipment thatcan freely mix three types of grains in the raw material processing process. In addition to corn, rye, barley, and wheat, thecompany willalsouse other uniquely Japanese ingredients such as rice, buckwheat, and regional specialty grains.

The distillery is expected to have an impact on the Japanese whiskey industry, including the supply to other distilleries, as barrels with Yoshida Denzai’s mark were shown during the unveiling of whiskey using Ehime’s specialty [hadakamugi].

Address	P.O. Box 110-0016 344-1 Shukuda, Murakami-city, Niigata, Japan
Access	5 minutes drive from Kanbayashi Iwafune Port IC
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2022
Official HP	Yoshida Denzai Distillery Official HP
Tours	Tour of Yoshida Denzai Distillery
Products	Products

4-21. Hakkai Jozo Fukasawara Distillery

The Fukasawahara Distillery operated by Hakkai Brewery, known for its sake Hakkaisan, is located in Uonuma-no-sato, a leisure facility with a variety of restaurants, a museum, and a café.
In 2005, the distillery made shochu as the original “Fukasawahara Distillery” and in April 2016 obtained a license to produce whiskey, and since then has continued to make rice-based grains.
At the same time, they also operate the Niseko distillery, and are one of the few brewers to have two distilleries among the craft distilleries that have started to increase in recent years.
The brewing water used for the whiskey is “Raiden-sama no Shimizu” (Raiden-sama’s fresh water), the same as that used for Hakkaisan.
The maturing barrels are oak barrels, and a 7-year aged rice grain whiskey is scheduled to be released in April 2024. It will be interesting to see if there will be a blended product with the Niseko distillery in the future.

Location	343-9 Nagamori, Minamiuonuma, Niigata 949-7112
Access to the distillery	10 minutes by cab from Itsukamachi Station on the JR Joetsu Line
Start of business	2005
Official HP	Uonuma no Sato
Visiting	No tours allowed
Products	Hakkaisan Authentic Rice Shochu, Stored in Oak Barrels, Fu-Mai-Hana (Wind Blossom), Raideen Beer

Representative products of Fukasawahara Distillery

4-22. Niigata Small Distillery Co.  Niigata Kameda Distillery

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Niigata Kameda Distillery is a joint venture established by Otani Corporation, a major seal seller.The company realized a business proposal for craft whiskey production that was presented by a team of three companies, including Otani Corporation, in the “Niigata Innovation Program” organized by Nomura Securities Niigata Branch and others in 2018.The business was launched in March 2019, The distillery was built on the premises of Otani Corporation’s main factory.
Niigata Kameda Distillery is the first company in Niigata Prefectureto produce authentic Japanese whiskey from germination to distillation of barley, the raw material .
The distillation machine will bemade by Forsyth in Scotland, and two types of fermentation vats, stainless steel and wooden, will be used to ferment the wort. Production capacity is 30,000 liters per year.
For the time being, they plan to use imported malt from Scotland, but they have contracted with an agricultural corporation, Shirogane Culture (Akiba Ward, Akiba City), to secure 4 tons of barley as raw material. The distillation of 100% prefectural malt is expected to begin within the year. In addition, the company is considering the production of rice whiskey using rice produced in the prefecture, and plans to expand its facilities after the summer to meet domestic and international demand. The total project cost to date is 240 million yen.

Ripening is done in special containers, and the effect is similar to warm ripening? The taste is very rich despite being a new pot, and it is already attracting attention, having won the world’s highest award in the New Make &Young Spirits New Make category of the WWA.

Location	Niigata 950-0141, Japan 1-3-5 Kameda Kogyo Danchi, Konan-ku, Niigata City
Access	30 minutes walk from JR Kameda Station
Start of operation	March 2019
Official HP	Niigata Kameda Distillery Limited Liability Company Niigata Small Scale Distillery
Tours	Tour of the distillery
Products	Niigata Kameda Distillery New Pot Peated 60% 200ml

4-23. Niigata Beer Shinobu Distillery

Niigata’s craft brewery, Niigata Beer, obtained its first whiskey distilling license in Niigata City in 2016 with the aim of using local fresh water to provide spirit lovers with high quality whiskey.

While the distillery is under construction, the distillery is importing original spirits aged in sherry and bourbon casks from distilleries around the world and mixing them together at the Niigata factory in Niigata City to make “Koshino Shinobu” whiskey. The Mizunara finish is characterized by a rich aroma that is additionally aged in Japanese oak casks. Ninety percent of the production is for export, with the U.S. accounting for 40% of the total.
It is unknown if construction of a distillery is in the plans.

Image source: Shinobu Distillery

Location	Niigata 953-0012 5120 Echizenhama, Nishigamaku, Niigata-shi, Niigata
Access	Access from the nearest station/ 10 minutes by car from Maki Station on the JR Echigo Line Access from the nearest IC/20 min. by car from “Maki Kata Higashi IC” of Hokuriku Expressway
Start of operation	Under construction
Official HP	Niigata Beer Oshinobu Distillery
Tour
Products	Koshino-ShinobuPure Malt, Koshino-ShinobuBlended Whisky, Koshino-Shinobu Pure Malt 10 Years, Koshino-Shinobu Pure Malt 15 Years

Representative whiskies of Shinobu Distillery .

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Aichi Prefecture

4-24. Suntory Chita Distillery

Chita Distillery is located on the Chita Peninsula overlooking Ise Bay. It is a grain whiskey distillery jointly established by Suntory Group and Zen-Noh Group. It is one of the three distilleries owned by Suntory in Japan.

For more than 40 years since it began operations in 1973, the distillery has been producing grain whiskey made primarily from corn. Chita’s original whiskey is blended into the world-renowned blended whiskeys ” Hibiki ” and “Kakubin” to enhance the character of the malt whiskey produced at Suntory’s Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, and to give it a smoother taste.
In 2015, the single grain whiskey “Chita” was released, consisting of grain base whiskey from the Chita distillery.

Location	478-0046, Chita, Aichi, Japan 16 Kitahama-cho, Chita City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Access
Start of operation	1973
Official HP	Suntory Chita Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Not open to the public.
Products	Single Grain Whiskey Chita

Chita Distillery’s representative whiskey .

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Distillery Details

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429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

4-25. Kiyosu Sakura brewery

Established in 1853. The brewery is famous for its brand name “Kiyosu-jo Nobunaga Oni-koroshi”, continuing its long-standing tradition and quality-oriented attitude.
The company does not have a dedicated pot still for distilling whiskey, but uses a distillation machine used for shochu (distilled spirit).
Currently, the whiskey lineup includes only one type of blended whiskey, Craft Whiskey Kiyos, which was released in September 2019 in limited quantities (10,000 bottles), and both malt and grain base whiskeys are distilled in-house.
It is being commercialized as an addition in 2020. (Limited number unknown)

Characteristic of this product is the use of aromatic sake yeast during fermentation, a characteristic of being a sake maker. It is packed in oak barrels and aged slowly for 5 years in the brewery’s underground cellar.

Location	Kiyosu, Aichi 452-0942 1692 Kiyosu, Kiyosu-shi, Aichi, Japan
Access	5 minutes walk from Shin Kiyosu Station on the Meitetsu Line
Start of operation	Whiskey distillation started in 2014
Official HP	Kiyosyu Sakura Brewery Co.
Tours	Tour of Seishu Cherry Brewery
Products	Aichi Craft Whisky Kiyosu

Kiyosu Sakura Brewing’s representative whiskey

4-26.Aioi Unibio Co. Hekinan Distillery 

The company has a long history and began producing mirin in 1872 (Meiji 5).
In 1949, soon after the end of the war, the company began producing “Rainbow Whiskey,” a second-class whiskey (*whiskey with an admixture of at least 5% and less than 30% real whiskey).
Due to two natural disasters, the whiskey business is abandoned once.
In 2019, the company resumes its whisky business on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the start of the whisky business.
The current product lineup includes Hekiju, a Canadian-based blend of Scotch and Islay, Hekiju PEAT, TWSC 2023 Gold Award-winning single cask Ippeki, Rainbow Whiskey (alc37%), and HINOTORI, a blended Japanese whiskey sold only in France HINOTORI” is sold exclusively in France.
The photos of pot stills and other details of each equipment are shrouded in mystery, but it is said that they use their own distillation.

Gifu Prefecture

4-27.Funasaka Sake Brewery Hida Takayama Distillery

Funasaka Sake Brewery, a long-established sake brewery since the Edo period, will use the school building of Takane Elementary School in Takayama, which was closed in 2007 because the school district was submerged by a dam lake and the number of students has decreased due to depopulation.

The total project cost was 300 million yen. The project is funded by SDGs private placement bonds issued by Juroku Bank and Takayama Shinkin Bank, respectively. A portion of the issue fee will be donated to designated recipients, including Asahi Elementary School and Junior High School, where children from the Takane area attend, and Takayama City, which has signed a real estate lease agreement for the former Takane Elementary School.

The elevation of the former Takane Elementary School site, where the Hida Distillery will be built, is nearly 900 meters above sea level. With water gushing from the mountains and cool temperatures throughout the year, this is an ideal location for whiskey distilling.

Single malt whiskey will be produced using the “ZEMON” pot still developed by Wakatsuru Brewery of Toyama Prefecture, which is made of copper and tin using the manufacturing technology of a Buddhist bell. The gymnasium will be used as a distillery and the school building as a storage facility. The school building will also house a facility where visitors can learn about whiskey making.

Mr. Hiroki Arisu, president of Funasaka Sake Brewery, says, “Sake will be made in the winter and whiskey in the spring and fall, which will benefit the employment of the brewery workers,” and “Breathing new life into the old school facility and creating a facility that will lead to tourism and employment will give hope to a region suffering from depopulation.

Construction is scheduled to begin on repairs to the Takane Elementary School in late April 2022, with operations scheduled to begin in April 2023. Sales will begin after April 2026.

Location	509-3413 164-2 Shimonomukai, Takane-cho, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Access from Takane-machi, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture	Nearest station: 30 minutes by car from Kusano Station on the JR Takayama Main Line
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2023
Official HP	Official website
Visiting the distillery	Whisky seminar scheduled to be held
Merchandise	Products

4-28. Gyokusendo Shuzo Yoro Distillery

Founded in 1806. Since its establishment in 1806, it has been a general liquor manufacturer for over 200 years, producing mainly sake, but also shochu, mirin, liqueur, and other products.
Its representative brands are Minogiku and Reisen.

The Gyokusendo Brewery is known for its ” peak whiskey. It is a “local whiskey” that dominated the market from the 1950s to 1985.

It is a blend of Scottish malt aged for eight years and whisky (malt) produced at the Gyokusendo Brewery using the clear underground water of the Yoro mountain range, known for “Yoro Falls” as the brewing water. After 10 years of aging in oak barrels, it is blended with grain whisky and aged for another 6 years to deepen its maturity.
Peak Whiskey has a capacity of 1,800 ml, and Peak Whiskey Special has a capacity of 720 ml.

Gyokusendo Brewery will release Peak Newborn 2018 in June 2019.
It resumes in-house distillation after 40 years. This limited release Newborn was distilled in October2018 using English barley malt and aged in sherry and bourbon casks for about six months. 55% alcohol by volume, 200 ml.
The single malt is already on sale.

Location	800-3 Takada, Yoro-machi, Yoro-gun, Gifu 503-1314, Japan 800-3 Takada, Yoro-machi, Yoro-gun, Gifu-ken
Access	5 minutes walk from Mino Takada Station on the Kintetsu Yoro Line
Start of operation	2018 (Whiskey distillation resumes after 40 years)
Official HP	Gyokusendo Brewery Co.
Tours	Tour of Gyokusendo Brewery
Products	Peak Newborn 2018, Peak Whiskey, Peak Whiskey Special

Typical whiskies from the Yoro Distillery .

Ishikawa Prefecture

4-29. Oriental Brewing Company Kanazawa Distillery

Established in 2016 in Kanazawa City, Oriental Brewing Co. produces craft beer and is the first company in Ishikawa Prefecture to produce whiskey.

In June 2022, the company will build a whiskey distillery attached to its own beer brewery in Higashimachi, Kanazawa. In addition to barley, local white bran produced when rice for Daiginjo is milled is used as an ingredient. The barrels used for maturation will be made of Noto Hiba (Noto Hiba) for the mirror plates. It appears that the company has already obtained a license to produce whiskey.

With the prolonged Corona disaster, the company entered the whiskey business as another pillar of its operations to complement the restaurants it operates.

In line with its corporate philosophy of “proposing uniqueness rooted in the community,” the company will use local ingredients and aims to launch the product in 2025. With the popularity of Japanese whiskey growing overseas, the company is also eyeing exports in the future.

In parallel, the company plans to produce craft gin, which, like beer and whiskey, will use local ingredients.

Location	32 Higashimachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1121, Japan
Access to the distillery	Approx. 35 min. by bus from Kanazawa Stn. on the 12 Yuwaku Line bound for Yuwaku Onsen, 15 min. on foot from the bus stop.
Start of business	August 2022
Official HP	Oriental Brewing official HP
Tour	Tour of the brewery
Merchandise	Products

4-30. Takebe Orimono Co.

Takebe Orimono, a textile business in Takebe, Nakanotomachi, Ishikawa Prefecture, started whiskey production as a new business.

The company utilized a closed junior high school (the former Tonan Junior High School). This will be the first whiskey distillery in the Noto region.

The distillery will be equipped with facilities and other equipment, and production is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023.

Osamu Tanaka, president of Takebe Orimono, commented, “We would like to produce all-Noto whiskey matured with clear water, barley, and Noto hiba (Japanese cypress) and introduce it to the world.

The former Tounan Junior High School in Kurosaki-cho, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is located in the easternmost part of the city facing Toyama Bay, on a 6,069 square meter site with a two-story reinforced concrete building. According to the city, the middle school closed in 2009, and the building was used as a school building for the nearby aging Ariiso Elementary School until its closure in March 2018.

Location.	20 Sa, Kurosaki-cho, Nanao-shi, Ishikawa 925-1383, Japan
Access to the distillery	Approximately 30 minutes by car from Nanao Station
Start of establishment	Scheduled for the summer of 2023
Official HP	Visiting the distillery
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

Mie Prefecture

4-31. ISEMAN Co. Ise Distillery

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Iseman was established in 1984 (Showa 59).
Its main product, sake “Okagesama” won Gold at the Brussels International Competition “SAKE selection” and has won three gold medals at the National New Sake Competition since 2017, and is the only brewery in Iseshima and the first craft whiskey in Iseshima.

Whiskey Jinji KAMIJI, a grain-based whiskey aged in bourbon barrels that went on sale in December 2021, was entered for the first time in the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2022, a global sake competition, and won the Gold Award in the World Whiskey category in its first year on the market, becoming a hot topic It became a topic of conversation.

Location	P.O. Box 516-0025 576-13 Akeno, Omata-cho, Ise-shi, Mie-ken
Access to the distillery	15 minutes on foot from Akeno Station on the Kintetsu Yamada Line
Start of business	1984
Official HP	Iseman
Visiting	Iseman
Products	Whiskey KAMIJI Thanks Daiginjo

Representative whisky of Iseman

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5. Kansai Region(inc. Osaka,Kyoto,Shiga,Hyogo and Wakayama prefecture)

Osaka Prefecture

5-1. Suntory Spirits Yamazaki Distillery

Suntory’s founder, Shinjiro Torii, had a passionate desire to “create a Japanese whiskey that would suit the delicate Japanese palate” and decided to create whiskey.

When the Yamazaki distillery was built, Suntory invited Masataka Taketsuru, who had studied whisky production in Scotland, the home of Scotch whisky, and appointed him as the director of the Yamazaki distillery.
Yamazaki is located southwest of Kyoto, at the foot of Mt. Yamazaki was chosen from among a number of candidate sites because of its “high quality water” and “natural environment,” both of which are important in whiskey production.

Yamazaki distillery at the time of operation
Image Source: Single Malt Whisky Yamazaki, Suntory

In the distillery room of the Yamazaki distillery, distillation kettles of different sizes and shapes are lined up facing each other.
Distilleries with such a variety of distillation kettles are rare in the world. The distillation kettles of different sizes and shapes produce different types of sake, ranging from light to heavy flavors.

Location	2-2-1, Yamazaki 5-chome, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka 618-0001, Japan 5-2-1 Yamazaki, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka, Japan
Access	JR West Japan Tokaido Main Line (Kyoto Line) Yamazaki station 7 minutes by walking 10 minutes walk from Oyamazaki Station, Hankyu Railway Kyoto Main Line
Commencement of operation	1923
Official HP	Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Tours are available; reservations required through the website. Tours are currently suspended. (December 28, 2020)
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 12years, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 18 years, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 25 years

Representative whiskies of Yamazaki distillery

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Distillery Details

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山崎蒸溜所（サントリーホールディングス）｜蒸留所詳細情報

山崎蒸留所の基本スペックや歴代マスターブレンダーまでの基本情報を網羅

jpwhisky.net

5-2.Mikuni Distillery

Mikuni Corporation, an import/export business, was established in 2018.
The distillery produces craft gin and whiskey in Tamatsukuri, Osaka City.
It is within the city so it seems easy to visit, but reservations are required for tours.
You can see a hybrid still, but it seems to be a fairly small production.
The official website in English only states that the distillery is located at the foot of Mt.
Like the official site, the whisky is made with an awareness of overseas markets, and this site will keep a close eye on how the product will be released in Japan.

Location of the company	1-16-24, Higashi-Kobashi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0024, Japan
Access	5 minutes walk from Tamatsukuri Station on JR and Osaka Metro lines
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	http://www.mikuniwhisky.com/( English only)
Visiting	Permitted *Reservations required
Products	The Mikuni Blended Japanese Whisky

5-3. Han Kurayashiki Kitashinchi CO-LABO

Just established in May 2023 as a microbrewery.
As an experimental workshop and sales store, it will take on the genre-less challenge of producing, selling, and enjoying sake in ways that are not bound by conventional concepts, based on the concept of “creating sake that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The company’s original brand “Sente Narian” will be trademarked on July 7, 2022.
The company plans to release whiskey and liqueurs bearing the name of the product of the same name.
The first product to be released will be a craft whiskey, and the company is currently recruiting cask owners on its official website.
The opening of the store is currently undecided.

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Location	Beerding Kitashinchi 1F, 1-4-2 Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-003, Japan
Access	5 minutes walk from Kitashinchi Station on JR Tozai Line
Start of operation
Official HP	Han Kurashiki Kitashinchi CO-LABO
Tour	Undecided
Merchandise	Sente Seian

Hyogo prefecture

5-4. Kizakura K.K. Kizakura Tamba Distillery

Image source : Yellow Cherry Blossom Co.

Founded in 1925, Kizakura Corporation, known for its sake “Kizakura” and “Dry sake Ikken,” established a whiskey distillery in Tamba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, at an altitude of about 300 meters, surrounded by clean air and forests, with annual temperatures exceeding 30°C and humidity so high that fog is a common occurrence. The Tamba factory, built in 1974, has been producing authentic shochu using stainless steel distillers since 2004, and began producing whiskey using those stainless steel distillers in 2018.

Aiming at further authentic whiskey production, two copper distillers (first distillation: straight type) (redistillation: bulge type) made by Forsyth were introduced in October 2021. One mash tun is made by Miyake Seisakusho, and two wash backs are made by enamel. Fushimi water is used for brewing water.

Current brewing is 1.5 tons of one-patch malt. Both non-peated and peated malts are used.

Up to saccharification is done at the craft brewery in Fushimi, and the 8,000 liters of wort from a single saccharification are transported by car to the Tamba Distillery, about an hour and a half away, for fermentation and maturation. The aging warehouse is located at the highest point in the Tamba Distillery and has been converted into a maturing warehouse. A wide variety of malt liquors are grown in the dunnage-type aging house, including bourbon casks, new oak casks, and sherry casks.

In the future, the company aims to introduce barrels made from Mizunara oak and other domestic timber, and to achieve an annual production volume of 30,000 liters.

Image source :JWIC

Location	1-19 Honjo-Dogaya, Imada-cho, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture
Access	Approximately 20 minutes by car from Sanda Nishi IC
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kizakura Whiskey Tamba Official HP
Visiting	Not available
Products

Representative whisky of Tamba Distillery

5-5. Eigashima Brewery Eigashima Distillery

Eigashima Shuzo, which produces the small 500ml bottle of local whiskey ” Akashi,” was founded in 1888 as a sake distillery.
Its history of whiskey production is surprisingly long, and it obtained a license to produce whiskey in 1919.

Image source: Eigashima Brewery – Wikipedia

The installation of pot stills and other equipment for full-scale whiskey production was completed in 1984. Since then, the company has sold lower-priced whiskey, but has recently released a number of new higher-priced products, including “Akashi” Single Malt 8 Years and ” Single Malt Eigashima Sherry Cask “.

Image source: Eigashima Brewery online store

Location	674-0065, Akashi, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture 919 Nishijima, Okubo-cho, Akashi-shi, Hyogo
Access	Nearest Station: Nishieigashima Station, Sanyo Railway
Start of operation	1919 (Licensed to manufacture whiskey) It is unknown if distilling had started.
Official HP	Eigashima Brewery Co.
Tours	Tours are available. Reservations required by phone or email. Tours are currently temporarily suspended. (December 28, 2020)
Merchandise	White Oak Single Malt Akashi, White Oak Ground Whiskey Akashi, White Oak Akashi Red

Eigashima Brewery’s representative whiskey

5-6. Akashi Shuzo Brewery Co. Kaikyo Distillery

Akashi Sake Brewery was founded in 1860. The company began by producing shochu (distilled spirit), and later acquired liquor licenses to produce sake, mirin (sweet cooking sake), liqueur, synthetic sake, and other brewed liquors.

The company obtained a license to produce whiskey in 2017. The company has two pot stills (distillers), both made by Forsyth in Scotland. The mash tun (saccharification tank) is also made by Forsyth.
Distillation was scheduled to begin in 2020, but has been delayed due to the new coronavirus.
The current product lineup is “Hamonzaki” whiskey, which is probably bottled using overseas original whiskey and sold to overseas customers. It is not distributed domestically at this time.

The company plans to start selling its craft gin, 135°E Hyogo Dry Gin, in the fall of 2021.

Location	1-3 Okurahachiman-cho, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture 673-0871 1-3 Ohkurahachiman-cho, Akashi-shi, Hyogo
Access	10 minutes walk from Asagiri Station on JR Kobe Line
Start of operation	2017
Official HP	Kaikyo Distillery
Tour	Tour
Products	Hamonzaki Pure Malt Whisky and Blended Whisky, both not sold in Japan

5-7. Gloucesters Kobe Distillery Co.

Gloucesters Co., Ltd. was established in 2015. It is a general trading company whose main business is trade agency services, such as acting as an agent for import/export procedures.

The Kobe Distillery will start operation on October 14, 2022. Surrounded by mountains, the land is suitable for whisky maturation due to its natural environment with large temperature differences throughout the year and high humidity.

The distillery is equipped with a pot still exclusively for whiskey and a distiller exclusively for brandy.

Bourbon and sherry casks will be used for aging, as well as Japanese oak and cherry casks.

The distiller used for the brandy shown in the left image is an imported direct-fired “Alambic Charentes” (single distiller) made in France, which was once used for high-end brandy and stopped production 27 years ago.

(Image exhibit: Kobe Distillery official HP)

Location	2150 Kami-Osawa, Osawa-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1522 Roadside Station Kobe Fruit and Flower Park Osawa, 2150 Kami-Osawa, Osawa-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo
Access	15 minutes by bus or cab from Okaba Station on the Kobe Electric Railway Line Approx. 15 min. by cab from JR Sanda Station By car: Exit at Osawa IC of Rokko-kita Toll Road.
Start of operation	October 14, 2022
Official HP	Kobe Distillery Official Website
Tours	Tour of Kobe Distillery
Merchandise	Lake Biwa Wisheshi Memorial Cruise Limited Edition NEWBORN, KOBE GIN YAMA/KOBE GIN UMI

5-8. With One Corporation Yabu Distillery

Began operation in July 2023. Reads as Yabu.
According to a theory, it is also the origin of the word “Yabu-doctor.
Construction will begin in 2022. The site area is approximately 8,000 square meters and includes a distillation building and two storage buildings, with the storage building holding approximately 2,400 barrels in a dunnage system.
The distillery will be the first of its kind in Japan, with most of the equipment, including pot stills, being supplied by Frilli of Italy.

The plant will produce approximately 65,000 liters in the first year and 130,000 liters in the second year.
The company plans to release 700 milliliters around 2026, at an estimated price of 8,000 yen to 10,000 yen.
Two people are involved in supervising production: Kenji Hosoi, former director of Nikka Whisky’s Technical Development Center, and Kenji Hosoi, former visiting researcher at the Geisenheim Wine Institute in Germany before becoming director of the St. Neige Wine Research Institute, and then deputy general manager of the Asahi Beer Board of Directors, deputy general manager in charge of the Liquor Division and director of the Wine Business Department, and director of Food R&D. He has also served as Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of Asahi Breweries, Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of the Liquor Division and Director of the Wine Business Department, and Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of the Food Research and Development Division.
The whiskey production process features Idemitsu Kosan’s patented filtration method using metal-supported zeolite.
In addition to yeast and lactic acid bacteria, a third microorganism is used in the wooden fermentation tanks to change the flavor and create a new whiskey.

Location	844-1, Nakanaka, Oya-cho, Yabu-shi, Hyogo 667-0325
Access	25 minutes by car from the Yabu IC of the Kita-Kinki Toyooka Expressway. Take JR KOUNOTORI and get off at “Yoka” station, then take a bus for about 1.5 hours
Start of operation	July 2023
Official HP	Yabu Distillery
Visiting	Possible (currently not available)
Merchandise	Scheduled to be released in 2026

5-9. Axus Holdings Corporation Rokkosan Distillery

AXUS H OLDINGS CORPORATION (Tokushima) operates “Hour Liquor” liquor specialty stores and “Charlie” drugstores, and imports and exports alcoholic beverages and other food products. Rokko, a landmark of Kobe with its beautiful night views and abundant nature including famous water, will become a center of new culture centered on whiskey by appealing to people who love to drink and are sensitive to information in Japan and around the world through the production, aging, tours, tasting and sales of whiskey and spirits at Mt. The purpose of this project is to become a new culture center centered on whisky.

The initial plan was for operations to begin in November 2020, but this was postponed to late March 2021. The project was delayed until late March 2021, and operations began on July 1, 2021. The site area is 1,160.73 m2. The project started as part of Kobe City’s “Lively Creation Project” utilizing idle facilities on Mt. Rokko with the aim of revitalizing Mt. Rokko, one of the most important issues in tourism promotion.

For the time being, the company plans to produce only whiskey, using German-made pot stills. The distilled whiskey has already been aged in casks, and the intention is to sell it as “Japanese whiskey” that has been aged for three years or more. The company intends to expand overseas by developing overseas markets in cooperation with domestic and overseas suppliers.

The current product lineup includes “Rokkosan Pure Malt Whiskey 12 Years” and “Rokkosan Pure Malt Whiskey 12 Years Peated.
The pure malt whisky is made by adjusting the addition of natural Mt. Rokko water to the original Scottish malt whisky. Available at Motomachi WHISKY in Kobe City.

Location	〒657-0101 1034-229 Minami-Rokko, Rokkosan-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Access	15 minutes walk from Rokko Sanjo Station on the Rokko Cable
Start of operation	July 1, 2021
Official HP	Official Instagram of Rokkosan Distillery
Tours	Tours, tasting rooms and stores will open from August
Products	Rokkosan Pure Malt Whisky 12years, Rokkosan Pure Malt Whisky 12years Peated

Rokkosan Distillery’s representative whiskies

5-10. Nishiyama Sake Brewery Co. Nishiyama Sake Brewery Co.

The Tamba sake brewery, which has been in existence for generations, was also used as a cultural salon where many writers and painters, including the haiku poet Kyoshi Takahama, gathered. Today, three of the Nishiyama Sake Brewery’s buildings are registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
A haiku poet who was a member of the salon promoted the sake Kozutsumi extensively in haiku magazines, and the brewery became a destination for writers and artists.

The temperature here varies greatly between day and night, with a temperature difference of nearly 10°C even in summer. In addition, “Tamba fog” is expected to occur from fall to winter, bringing moisture to a season that tends to be dry, and thus allowing the characteristic maturation of the sake to take place.

The water source used is “Chinju-tensen,” a well on the premises, which is ultra-soft water consisting of subsoil water from the Takeda River that runs right next to the brewery, the same water source used for Kozutsumi.

The distiller, Yuzo Nishiyama, the fifth generation of the Nishiyama Sake Brewery, was impressed by Italian grappa and introduced an Italian-made distillation machine. The company produces brandy, gin, and whiskey under the name Monte Oeste. The whiskey is mainly made from bourbon barrels. They also own French oak, although it is used for brandy.
Their black bean shochu “Kurotamba” won a gold medal at the TWSC. As for whiskey, as of 2024, a limited edition of 100 bottles of 7-month aged Newborn is on sale.

Location	1171 Nakatakeda, Ichijima-cho, Tamba, Hyogo 669-4302, Japan
Access	JR Fukuchiyama Line “Tamba Taketa” Station, 10 minutes walk from Tamba Taketa Station
Commencement of operation	1849, Whisky in 2023
Official HP	kotsuzumi.co.jp
Tours	Sake Comparison,Pairing Only
Merchandise	Sake Kotsuzumi, Monte Oeste, Kurotamba

Shiga Prefecture

5-11. Nagahama Roman Beer Nagahama Distillery

Japan’s smallest Nagahama distillery is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture.
In 1996, Nagahama Romantic Beer became the third craft brew ery in the Kinki region to start producing craft beer, and after 20 years of craft beer production, in 2016, Nagahama Distillery began operating on the premises and started distilling whiskey.

Inspired by Scottish craft distilleries, the brewery features a rich, fruity, grain-derived, richly sweet, undiluted brew that flows from an arambic-shaped pot still and ultra-thin line arms.

Image Source: Nagahama Romantic Beer Nagahama Distillery

In 2020, Amahagan, a blend of malts from Nagahama Distillery with malt whisky from overseas, won three out of four bottles in the regular series at the World Whisky Awards (WWA).

Location	Nagahama, Shiga 526-0056 14-1 Asahi-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga
Access from JR Nagahama Station	4 minutes walk from JR Nagahama Station About 4 km from Nagahama I.C.
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	Nagahama Roman Beer Nagahama Distillery
Tours are available.	Tours are available, reservations required through the website.
Products	Amahagan, Single Malt Nagahama

Representative whisky of Nagahama Distillery

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5-12. Kawashima Shuzo Lake Biwa Distillery

Founded in 1865.
This long-established brewery is located on the shores of Lake Biwa, in the town of Harie, where “Harie-no-shozu” (fresh water from Harie) flows and was selected as one of the 100 best waters of the Heisei era (100 best waters of the Heisei era).
The brewery is known for its Nishi-Omi local sake “Matsunohana” and daiginjo “Fujiki,” etc. The brewery’s style of sake making is based on the ancient tradition of cold brewing, and is faithful to the basics without any eccentricities. They respect the history and traditions of the past.
These have been awarded the Monde Selection Gold Prize in 2002.
Their sake is exported to 15 countries around the world.
In order to expand its share in the world, the company will obtain a whiskey production license in 2020.
For starters, the company has purchased original sake from Scotland and begun flavoring it in casks.
As of 2023, the distillery has expanded its facilities, conducted a series of test distillations, and began full-scale distillation in July 2023.
Sake is made from November to February, and whiskey from March to October.
The first branded product as Biwako Distillery is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2023.
The whiskey to be released in the fall will be purchased in Scotland and matured for two years in oak, cherry, and chestnut (chestnut) casks.

Location	83 Asahi, Shin-Asahi-cho, Takashima-shi, Shiga 520-1501
Access	8 minutes walk from Shin-Asahi Station
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official website	Kawashima Sake Brewery Co.
Visiting the brewery	Undecided (brewery tours are available)
Product	Scheduled for the fall of 2023

Kyoto Prefecture

5-13. Kyoto Sake Brewery Kyoto Miyako Distillery

Kyoto Shuzo Corporation was established on August 16, 2019. The whiskey production license will be granted on July 6, 2020. There are a total of three pot stills: two 5,000L and one 1,000L.
On March 19, 2021, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Red Belt (blended whiskey), Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Black Belt (blend of bourbon and malt whiskey), and Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Purple Belt (blended malt) will be available.
The official announcement states that “Kyoto Whiskey is only sold in Kyoto Prefecture,” but this probably refers to in-store sales, and since it is sold on the mail-order site, it seems that people outside of Kyoto Prefecture can also purchase it.

The Kyoto Miyako distillery was temporarily the subject of controversy when a job posting for opening staff listed the “Kurayoshi Distillery” in Tottori as the location for post-hiring training, and thus the distillery was affiliated with Matsui Shuzo Gomei Kaisha? This led to a controversy for a while, but the truth remains unknown at this point.

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Location	P.O. Box 629-1131 11 Minami-Bayashi, Sakahara, Kyotanbamachi, Funai-gun, Kyoto, Japan
Access	Nearest station: 10 minutes on foot from Wachi Station on the JR Sanin Line
Start of operation	July 6, 2020 (for closed to the public, the date of obtaining the whiskey production license is stated)
Official HP	Kyoto Shuzo Brewery Co.
Tours	Tour
Products	Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Red Belt, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Black Belt, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Purple Belt

Representative whiskies of Kyoto Miyako Distillery .

Wakayama Prefecture

5-14. Kishu Kumano Distillery, Plum Foods Co.

Founded in 1969 as a drinking water manufacturer, the distillery was established on its 50th anniversary.
The company will develop its whiskey business toward its 100th anniversary in 2069.
From the photos on the official website, it is believed that two distillers of the hybrid type are being used, one from ABE distillers in the U.S. and the other from ABE.
The company’s main product, Japanese Blended Whiskey Kumano, is a blend of Scotch and Japanese whisky, aged in oak barrels, and can be easily purchased at a relatively low price of 3,850 yen for a 500 ML bottle.

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One batch contains 500 kg of malted barley
Malt used is non-peat and peat 20 PPM.
Washback is stainless steel and distiller is 2000L first distillate and 1000L redistillate.
Warehouse is dunnage type
The distillery is currently under construction with a view to eventually touring the distillery and using domestic malt.

Location of the distillery: 1474 Ikuma, Kamitonda, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama	1474-1 Ikuma, Kamitonda-cho, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-2103, Japan
Access to the distillery	30 minutes on foot from Asago Station on the JR Kinokuni Line
Start of operation	May 2019
Official HP	Kishu Kumano Distillery
Tour	Kishu Kumano Distillery
Products	JAPANESE CRAFT GIN Kumano Dry Gin “Sakaki” Series JAPANESE BLENDED MALT WHISKY Kumano

A representative whiskey of Kishu Kumano Distillery

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Nara Prefecture

5-15. Kamiki Brewery Nara Distillery

YOSHINO SPIRITS” is located in Osaka. The company ages its overseas whiskey additionally in Yoshino cedar and sells it overseas. The company renovated an old private house and established Nara Prefecture’s first distillery in the Yamakasu district of Soni Village.
The Turkish president, Mr. Shakar Gem, believes that the spring water of the Sone plateau is suitable for whiskey making, and plans to produce whiskey using barley and barrels produced in Sonimura in the future.

The official website is currently only for the overseas market, and it is unknown if the products produced will be sold to the Japanese market. It appears that the distillery plans to offer tastings and other events for visitors.
They have already released whiskey under the name of Single Malt, but what is currently being sold is from overseas. The company is aiming for a Japanese whiskey to be released around 2028.

The Soni Plateau Spring Group, recognized as one of the 100 best waters of the Heisei Era, will be used, and in addition to cedar, cherry, cypress, and pine trees will be used for the barrels used for maturation.

Location	Yamakasu, Soni-mura, Uda-gun, Nara-ken
Access	Soni Village Tourism Association (sonimura.com)
Start of operation	April 2024
Official HP	KAMIKI DORINKS(overseas site) Soni Village Official HP
Tours	Tour of Soni Village
Products	KAMIKI WHISKY

 

6. Chugoku Region

Hiroshima Prefecture

6-1. Sakurao B&D Sakurao Distillery

*The company name was changed from “Chugoku Brewery” to “Sakrao Brewery and Distillery” on March 9, 2021.

Chugoku Brewery, located in Hiroshima Prefecture, is a long-established brewery founded in 1918.
In fact, it has a deep history in whiskey making, having produced and sold malt whiskey from 1938 to 1989. At that time, the distilled original whiskey was stored in a warehouse in Togawachi that utilized a JR West Japan railroad exploratory tunnel.
In 2008, the company began selling Togawachi Whiskey, a blend of the original whiskey stored in the Togawachi storage facility and imported original whiskey. (Ninety percent is exported to Europe.)

Image source: Togouchi Whiskey, Chugoku Brewery

Then, in 2018, in order to take on the challenge of new possibilities in Western-style distilling, new facilities were installed and a craft distillery, “Sakurao Distillery (SAKURAO DISTILLERY),” was established from Hiroshima.
While ” Sakurao Gin, ” a craft gin, is currently the company’s main product, it also focuses on whiskey and produces a variety of whiskeys, including “Single Malt Sakurao,” “Single Malt Togouchi,” and “Togouchi Premium (blended whiskey),” which is made exclusively from domestic sake.

Image source: SAKURAO DISTILLERY | Craft distillery presented by Hiroshima to the world

Location	Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima 738-8602 1-12-1 Sakurao, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Access	10 minute walk south from Hatsukaichi Station on the JR Sanyo Main Line. Private Railway] 8 min. walk south from Hiroden Hatsukaichi Station on the Hiroshima Electric Railway Miyajima Line.
Commencement of Operations	1938 – Ended 1989 Newly in operation in 2018
Official HP	SAKURAO DISTILLERY | Hiroshima’s craft distillery for the world
Tours are available.	Tours are available, reservations required through the website. Tours are currently suspended (until December 29, 2020). (December 29, 2020)
Merchandise

Representative spirits of the Sakurao Distillery .

Detailed distillery information

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

SAKURAO DISTILLERY(サクラオブルワリーアンドデ...

日本酒、焼酎、みりんなど、日本ではじめて紙パック容器に日本酒を入れて販売するなど、酒類製造総合企業として広島で長く親しまれてきた中国醸造が、設立100周年を記念して新たに立ち上げ。2021年に「株式会社サクラオブルワリーアンドディスティラリ...

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6-2. Sakurao B&D Sakurao Distillery Forest Site

The location is within the premises of the tourist exchange facility “Yoshiwa Charming Village”. Originally a complex facility with auto-camping, concert hall, hot spring facilities, etc.
The facility has been operated and managed by Hatsukaichi City as the installer, but has already closed. The site is approximately 5,650 square meters in size.

The company is constructing the park as a “theme park with a whiskey distillery attached that will attract new whiskey fans as well as domestic and international whiskey lovers, with the aim of transmitting and educating about the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship and local culture.

The distillery will be equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities from Germany and pot stills from a traditional Scottish distiller. A tour course will be set up to allow visitors to experience the production process and the appeal of whiskey.
Through “SAKURAO DISTILLERY FOREST SITE”, we will contribute to the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship and the transmission and education of local culture.

Location	132 Yoshiwa, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Access	60 min. by bus bound for Yoshiwa from Miyauchi-Kushido Sta. on the R Sanyo Main Line. 8 min. walk from the Fascinating Village Entrance bus stop. Or, 60 min. by car from the Hatsukaichi IC of the Sanyo Expressway. Or, approx. 15 min. by car from the Yoshiwa IC of the Chugoku Expressway.
Start of Operation	Scheduled for completion in 2025, with a visitor’s building scheduled for completion in the fall of 2026.
Official website	https://www.sakuraodistillery.com/news/detail-97.html
Tours	Tours scheduled to be conducted
Merchandise	Products

6-3. Miyake Honten SETOUCHI DISTILLERY

Miyake Honten, a long-established brewery that produces and sells “Senpuku,” a Japanese sake known for its commercial “How about a glass of Senpuku?
It is named SETOUCHI DISTILLERY, with the hope of transmitting its products from the Setouchi area to the world.

The unused buildings in the factory will be renovated and used for whiskey production. The cost of the barrels and distillation equipment was approximately 100 million yen. Equipment for whiskey production was made in China. The mash tun is made of stainless steel, and the fermentation tank is also made of stainless steel for beer. The first distillation is done with a pot still and the second distillation is done with a hybrid still.

The whisky is named “Setouchi,” which is also the production area, and single malt whisky is produced.

The water is pumped up from a well 60 meters underground from an independent 737-meter-high mountain called Haigamine. The high-quality water, which contains just the right amount of minerals, is classified as soft water and is soft, mild, and easy to drink. The annual production is equivalent to 100 230-liter barrels.

In September 2021, the company released ” Craft Gin Setouchi, ” which has been highly acclaimed.

Currently, the 2-year-old Newborn is sold exclusively through the official online SHOP.

Location	737-0045 7-9-10 Hondori, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Access	Approximately 30 minutes on foot from Kure Station 1 minute walk from Azuma 1-chome bus stop
Start of operation	Whiskey production begins in 2022
Official HP	Miyake Honten
Tour	Please inquire
Merchandise

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Tottori Prefecture

6-4. Matsui Shuzo Kurayoshi Distillery

Matsui Shuzo, a brewery in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture, founded in 1910, obtained a license to produce whiskey in 2015. 3 pot stills were installed in 2017 and full-scale whiskey distillation will begin.
The whisky ” Kurayoshi,” which was first sold in 2016 before the company began distilling its own whisky, appears to have been made with imported original sake.

As of 2024, the company has acquired a site for a closed school building and plans to install 20 new distillers by 2029 with the construction of a new plant. If true, it will be the largest in the country.

Location	656-1, Kamikogawa, Kurayoshi, Tottori 682-0934 656-1 Kamikogawa, Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture
Access
Start of operation	2015
Official HP	Matsui Sake Brewing Company Kurayoshi Distillery
Tours	No information
Products	Pure malt whiskey Kurayoshi, blended whiskey Tottori, single malt whiskey Matsui, blended whiskey Sanin

Typical whiskies from Kurayoshi distillery

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6-5. Chiyomusubi Brewery Sakaiminato Distillery

Founded in 1865, the Chiyomusubi Brewery, which mainly produced shochu and sake, obtained a license to produce whiskey. Following the craft gin “Inpakuto” and craft vodka “Enjin,” the distillery has embarked on the production of Western-style whiskey.

The whiskey is expected to be distilled and casked in June 2021 and sold in the fall of 2024.

The whisky will be called ” Kurahuto,” and will be available in three- andseven-year-old single malt whiskies, priced at around 7,000 to 8,000 yen for the three-year-old and 10,000 yen for the seven-year-old, respectively.

The stills are to be made in 2023 with the introduction of domestically produced copper pot stills.

By using sake yeast and Scottish whisky production methods, the company aims to produce the one and only whisky.
The company plans to blend the whisky using Mizunara and cherry casks, but also plans to sell single casks. The price will be around 12,000 yen.

The company currently has no whisky distillery, but plans to invest approximately 200 million yen to build a distillery with a tasting corner and a tour course.

Location	P.O. Box 684-0004 131 Taisho-cho, Sakaiminato-shi, Tottori
Access from JR Sakaiminato Station	2 minutes walk from JR Sakaiminato Station. 15 minutes drive from Yonago Airport, 40 minutes drive from Yonago I.C. on Chugoku Expressway
Start of operation	Whiskey production will start in 2021
Official HP	Chiyomusubi Brewery
Tour of the brewery	Tours are scheduled
Products	Setouchi Lemon Gin, Single Malt Setouchi, etc.

Okayama Prefecture

6-6. Miyashita Shuzo Okayama Distillery

Miyashita Shuzo in Okayama Prefecture is a long-established sake brewery established in 1915.
Until now, they have made sake, beer, shochu, and liqueurs, but in 2011, they obtained a license to produce whiskey and began developing whiskey.
In 2015, they installed a German-made pot still, a single distiller for whiskey, and started full-scale operations as Okayama Distillery.

After three to five years of aging, the original sake distilled in-house, Single Malt Whiskey Okayama was released in 2017.
Barley malt from Okayama Prefecture and subsoil water from the clear Asahikawa River are used to make the original sake, which is then aged in more than 10 different types of wooden casks, including sherry, brandy, bourbon, white oak, as well as domestic wooden casks represented by Mizunara oak. After much trial and error, Ginjo Whiskey Okayama was perfected, and is characterized by its youthful flavor and delicate, thirst-quenching taste.

Single Malt Whiskey Okayama Triple Cask won the Gold Award at the Meiningers International Spirits Award ISW 2019 in Germany. At the World Whiskies Awards 2020, it won Category Winner, the highest award in the Single Malt No Age category.

Location	Okayama 703-8258, Japan 184 Nishikawahara, Naka-ku, Okayama City
Access	JR West Japan Sanyo Main Line, get off at Nishi-Kawahara/Shizumi Station, and walk 3 minutes.
Start of operation	2015 (License for whiskey production was acquired in 2011)
Official HP	Ginjo Whiskey Okayama Miyashita Shuzo Brewery Co.
Tours	Tours are available. Reservations required through the Dokuhokan website.
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Okayama

Representative spirits of Okayama Distillery .

 

7. Shikoku Region.

Tokushima Prefecture

7-1. Nisshin Shuzu Awano-Distillery

Established on 30 December 1948 as a comprehensive manufacturer of alcoholic beverages under the motto ‘Every day is a new day’, while maintaining the traditional skills of a sake brewery that has been in existence since the end of the Edo period.
The company offers products using local specialities, such as ‘AWA GIN’ made from Tokushima Prefecture’s Yamada Nishiki grade rice, the liqueur ‘Sudachi Shochu’ and the authentic shochu ‘Naruto Kintoki Satomusume’.
Their sake Hisago Taikou has won gold 19 times in the National New Sake Competition and AWA GIN has been awarded IWSC Silver, so their ability and track record are impeccable and expectations for whisky production are high.
The Awano distillery, established on 28 March 2023, will be the first whisky distillery in Shikoku and aims to start sales from April 2026.

Location.	176, Gun, Tsuchinari-cho, Awa, Tokushima 771-1505, Japan
Access.	35 minutes drive from Tokushima Station.
Commencement of operations	28 March 2023
Official website	Nisshin Sake Brewery
Visits	Undecided
Products	AWA GIN Hyoutaiko Sudachi Shochu Naruto Kintoki Satomusume

Representative products of the Awano distillery

Ehime.

7-2. Ume Bijin Shuzo K.K. Distillery name unknown

Founded in 1916 in Yawatahama, Ehime Prefecture, the distillery produces a wide range of products, mainly sake, but also liqueurs, shochu and gin.

The company obtained a licence to produce whisky in 2023. There are very few posts about whisky on its website and Instagram.

Well water drawn from a water vein 30 metres underground is used to prepare sake. It is assumed that the same is used for the whisky. The distiller, of which only one image is available, is believed to be of the type made of stainless steel with the upper line section switched to copper.

It has already been sold for the first time as a malt whisky under the name ‘Taki’, probably Newborn, but only by reservation at the brewery and at the Iyotetsu Takashimaya shop.

Locations.	1557-2, Yawatahama, Ehime 796-0051
Access.	5 mins drive from Yawatahama IC.
Commencement of operations	1916 Whisky production licence granted in 2023
Official website	Ume Bijin Shuzo official website
Visiting	Unknown
Products	Sake “Ume Bijin” and “Takao”, craft gin “Caviar Lime” and “Citrus Bee”. Malt whisky ‘Taki’.

Representative products of the Umebijin sake brewery

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

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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...

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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

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429 Too Many Requests

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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