Nagahama Distillery, Japan’s smallest whisky distillery operated by Nagahama Romantic Beer Co. and Tenichi, a long-established tempura restaurant, jointly developed an original blend whisky to be served from March 1, 2025 (Saturday).
～Taste the new harmony of tempura and whisky.～
This whisky is a one-of-a-kind whisky that was arrived at after more than a year of trial and error and many joint tastings, with the desire to create an original whisky that goes well with tempura. In collaboration with Yusuke Yahisa of Nagahama Distillery, Tomokazu Yabuki, president and representative director, emphasizes “sharpness” and “harmony” in the selection process, while Masaki Yamamoto, sommelier, carefully supervises the flavor. The dish is designed to reset the oil in the mouth when tasting tempura and lead you to the next dish.
Tenichi x Nagahama Distillery Original Blend whisky
1-1. Product Information
＜A whisky that offers a special experience.＞
Tenichi and Yusuke Yahisa, chief blender at Nagahama Distillery, worked together to carefully blend the whisky. This collaboration was inspired by a meal at Tenichi’s flagship store, and the whisky’s image, concept, and story were developed using this inspiration. This product can be enjoyed either as a highball or on the rocks, and is characterized by its natty, salty flavor, pleasant peaty aroma, and spicy taste.
| Product Name | Tenichi x Nagahama Distillery Original Blend whisky |
| Capacity | 700ml |
| Alcohol content | 47% alcohol by volume |
| Start Date of Sale | March 1, 2025 (Saturday) |
1-2. Tasting Notes
| Color | Shimmering amber |
| Nose | Floral top notes reminiscent of fresh grapefruit and white grapes. The aroma is sweet and delicate, with hints of vanilla, coconut, and honey. |
| Taste | Silky and round on the palate. Bitter accents of fresh grapefruit, orange, white pepper and hazelnut. |
| Aftertaste | A subtle, gentle aftertaste of peat accented with white smoke. |
2. what is ginza ten-ichi?
Established in 1930. The main store is located on Ginza Namiki-dori. Since its establishment, the restaurant has been a favorite salon of cultural figures such as Saneatsu Mushanokoji and Naoya Shiga, as well as important figures in the political and business worlds at home and abroad. Enjoy tempura made with seasonal ingredients and deep-fried by skilled chefs in an exquisite setting.
| Company Name | Tenichi Co. |
| Representative | Tomokazu Yabuki, President and Representative Director |
| Address | 6-7-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
Please refer to the following website for “Ginza Tenichi” store information, etc.
About Nagahama Distillery
Japan’s smallest class distillery, which started operation in November 2016.
The distillery is producing craft whisky with the hope that many people will enjoy the craft whisky made in this small distillery 100 years from now.
| Location of the distillery | 14-1 Asahi-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga 526-0056 |
| Start of operation | November 1, 2016 (Heisei 28) |
Nagahama Distillery, one of the smallest distilleries in Japan, is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and houses a craft beer brewery and restaurant. Few distilleries, including major whisky distilleries, have restaurants attached to them, and when it comes to craft whisky distilleries, they are very rare.
The unique shape of the pot stills installed in the distillery reminds us of the very origin of whisky making.
Nagahama Distillery was originally a rice warehouse from the Edo period (1603-1868), and began making beer in 1996. Later, in 2016, facilities for whisky production were installed. The building has a vaulted ceiling, with a saccharification tank and distiller on the first floor, and a grinder and fermentation tank on the second floor.
There are two pot stills for first distillation and one for redistillation, and the heating system is an alambic type pot still shaped like an indirect steam gourd, a pot still often used for distilling brandy. This alambic type pot still is a rare type of distiller in Japan. The feature of this distiller is that it has the advantage of producing clear, soft liquor with little miscellaneous taste.
Trial and error was repeated between the establishment of the company and the present. Major changes include a change in the malt mash ratio and a change in fermentation time, which was initially 60 hours but is now 72 hours. After that, distillation was done while adjusting the fermentation time in order to create different types of original sake. The number of distillers was increased from two to three. When the distillery was founded, the first distillation kettle was 1,000 liters and the second distillation kettle was 500 liters, but the second distillation kettle was also replaced, and all three distillation kettles were unified to 1,000 liters. The rest of the redistillation kettles are almost never cleaned, following the example of Scottish distilleries. We have made many changes since our establishment until now.
Nevertheless, the spirit of the concept “one brew, one barrel” has remained unchanged and they continue to make whisky.
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Reference: whisky｜Nagahama Romantic Beer
↓Please click here to see the past whiskys.
