Hioki and Kanosuke Distilleries, Tsunuki Distillery. The 2024 festival of distilleries in Kyushu will be held! Details and festival-only single malt sales!
The Hioki-Kanosuke Distillery Festival 2024 and the Tsunuki Distillery Festival 2024 will be held at the same time. The events will be held on the same day, and shuttle buses will be operated to connect the distilleries, making it possible to come and go and enjoy both events.
The Kanosuke distillery has also arranged for a large shuttle bus from the nearest train station and a minibus to visit the Hioki distillery, the Kanosuke distillery and the former Hiyoshi Elementary School, and there will be many events such as a stamp rally around the three Kanosuke-related sites.
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1. Outline of the Hioki-Kanosuke Distillery Festival 2024
1-1. Venue details
| Venue |
Hioki Distillery
Kanosuke Distillery
Former Hiyoshi Elementary School
493 Hioki, Hiyoshi-cho, Hioki-shi, Kagoshima 899-3101 |
| Access |
Hioki Distillery Kanosuke Distillery On the day of the event, there is a large shuttle bus from Ijuin Station to the former Yoshida Elementary School. |
| Date and time | 10 Nov 2024 (Sun), 10am – 4pm *Please note that the event will be held in the event of light rain. |
| Price | Free admission |
| Distillery website | Hioki-Kanosuke Distillery Festival 2024 | Kanosuke Distillery (kanosuke.com) |
1-2. Scheduled events
Beverages on offer
You can sample Kanosuke’s standard whiskies and new varieties of shochu with a drink ticket distributed at the entrance. (Some drinks may also be offered for a fee).
Lottery sale of limited-edition bottles for the Distillery Festival
Image source: NEWS|Kanosuke Distillery *Image from 2023
Sales method: Application at the Kanosuke Distillery, followed by a lottery.
Application period: Saturday 2 November until the day of the distillery festival.
Hand-filling KANOSUKE raw sake
You can try hand-filling the bottles yourself (for a fee) in the conference room on the 2nd floor of the Kanosuke Distillery.
Stamp rally
Collect stamps at the three venues and participate in the ‘big lottery’.
The prize is a set of products, a ticket to experience a special tour by the production staff, and a special product related to KANOSUKE and travel as a special prize.
Whisky seminar programme
Talks by brothers Yoshitsugu Komasa & Michihisa Komasa
Introductory seminar on whisky and shochu
Whisky and shochu lovers’ seminar
Walking tours by the brewery manager, warehouse manager and toji, etc.
Others
Free distillery tours, finger food pairings, barrel recharging demonstrations, special cocktails by the Kagoshima Bartenders Association, etc.
Hioki-Kanosuke Distillation Festival 2024 | Kanosuke Distillery (kanosuke.com)
2. Outline of Tsunuki Distillery Festival 2024
2-1. Venue details
| Venue |
Special venue at Tsunuki Distillery *Free parking |
| Date and time | 10 November 2023 (Sun) 10am – 4pm *Please note that the event will be held in the event of light rain. |
| Price | Free admission |
2-2. Scheduled events
On the day, visitors will be able to experience the passion and commitment to sake brewing unique to the Hombo Brewery, including a whisky seminar by distillery and production staff and a tour of the Tsunuki Kisho Brewery, a handmade jar-tsubo brewery where the shochu master brewers prepare their sake.
A stage event will also be held, and gourmet food stalls (for a fee) will be set up with the cooperation of restaurants so that visitors can enjoy a meal with delicious sake. There will also be a raffle for commemorative bottles (limited quantities).
Both drinkers and non-drinkers can enjoy the event, so please come along and join us. For more information, please refer to the Tsunuki Distillery Festival 2024 leaflet.
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Shochu & drink events
Honbo Shuzo’s signature shochu will be served.
Highballs and original cocktails will be sold by bartenders from the NBA Kagoshima Branch (charged).
Lottery sale of commemorative bottles
Lottery sales of Single Malt Tsunuki 8th Anniversary of MARS TSUNUKI DISTILLERY will be held.
A special single malt made from Minami Satsuma City’s Nijo barley.
Lottery reception: special tent in the main venue
| Product name | Single malt TSUNUKI 8th Anniversary of MARS TSUNUKI DISTILLERY |
| Alcohol content | 52% |
| Content | 700ml |
| Price | 15,400 yen (tax included) |
Whisky tasting seminar (2 sessions)
Paid seminar with Chief Distilling Manager and Blender Mr Kusano as lecturer.
Registration available from ‘Tsunuki Distillery official website announcement‘ from 10 October noon.
| Time | Morning session: 10:30-11:20 Afternoon session: 13:30-14:20 |
| Venue | Multipurpose hall of the former Tsunuki Primary School |
| Fee | 1.500 yen (incl. tax) *Tasting & souvenir included |
| Capacity | 30 people per session (first-come-first-served basis) |
Shochu Brewery Tour
Free seminar with Mr Dobara, Toji of Kishokura, as lecturer.
The Honbo Shuzo brewery won the highest award in the shochu category, the Trophy, at ISC2024 for its authentic shochu ‘Yakushima Dainenrin Mugi’ for two years in a row, and has been awarded ‘SHOCHU PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ for three years in a row.
| Hours. | 12;00-12:40 |
| Capacity | 30 (first-come, first-served) |
| Registration | Apply at the general information desk |
Events at the former Tsunuki Elementary School
PR corner for special products of Minami Satsuma City
Exhibition on the 40th anniversary of the wiring of Nansatsu Railway, etc.
Various stage events and food stalls will also be held at the main venue.
4. Summary
The festival was a great success last year, as it was the first time it had been held in four years.
This year, more venues have been added on the Kanosuke side, including the local former Yoshida Primary School, and various events are being organised as a contribution to the local community.
Tsunuki Distillery is also planning events that even children can enjoy.
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
