Nagahama Distillery AMAHAGAN series. It is aged in Vino de Pago red wine barrels, the highest rank in the Spanish wine law.
This product is already available for reservation at the official online store.
1. AMAHAGAN World Malt Edition Vino de Pago
On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, AMAHAGAN World Malt Edition Vino de Pago will be released as a limited-quantity product in the AMAHAGAN series.
Vino de Pago” is a designation given only to wines with the highest classification under the wine laws of Spain, one of the world’s leading wine countries. This AMAHAGAN World Malt Edition Vino de Pago is based on AMAHAGAN Edition No. 1 and was post-aged for about two years in barrels that contained Vino de Pago red wine, the highest Spanish wine at AZAI FACTORY. AZAI FACTORY is located at the foot of Mt. Ibuki, where the temperature difference between cold and hot is extremely intense, and the barrels that sleep there repeatedly expand and contract, producing surprisingly fruity esters. Matured in this environment, the whisky is an elegant yet sweet blended malt with a pronounced sweetness and a very long finish.
Reference: Nagahama Roman Beer official website
2. About Nagahama Distillery
Nagahama Distillery
| Location | 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, Shiga Prefecture, and houses a craft beer brewery and a 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. Among Japanese craft distilleries, Nagahama Distillery is the only one currently using this alambic type pot still. One of the characteristics of this distillery is that it has the advantage of producing a clear, soft, and less cloying liquor.
Trial and error has been repeated between the establishment of the distillery and the present. Major changes include a change in the malt crush ratio and a change in fermentation time from 60 hours at the beginning to 72 hours now. Also, the number of distillers was increased from two to three. When the distillery was founded, the first distillation vessel had a capacity of 1,000 liters and the redistillation vessel had a capacity of 500 liters, but the redistillation vessel was also replaced, and all three distillation vessels are now 1,000 liters. Also, following the example of Scottish distilleries, the redistillation kettles are rarely cleaned. We have made many changes over the past four years since our founding.
We continue to make whisky in the spirit of “one brew, one barrel”.
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Reference: Whisky｜Nagahama Romantic Beer
3. Product Specifications
| Product name | AMAHAGAN World Malt Edition Vino de Pago |
| Distillate | Malt Whisky |
| Ingredients | Malt (made in England) |
| Alcohol Content | 47% |
| Suggested Retail Price | 7,590 yen (tax included) |
4. Past works of Nagahama Distillery
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.
