[December 19, 2023 Release] Single Malt Nagahama THE THIRD BATCH (Nagahama Distillery)

New Release

2023.11.302024.02.08

“Single Malt Nagahama THE THIRD BATCH” will be released on December 19, 2023 from the official website of Nagahama Roman Beer, which operates the Nagahama Distillery.

FIRST BATCH was released in 2022, SECOND BATCH in 2023, and now information on the release of the third THIRD BATCH has been released.

The key malts this time are both peat-type bourbon barrel-aged and Islay Quarter barrel-aged wines.

They will be available for purchase at the official online store from the 19th.

1. Single Malt Nagahama THE THIRD BATCH
2. Product Specifications
3. About Nagahama Distillery

1. Single Malt Nagahama THE THIRD BATCH

In the spirit of “one brew, one barrel,” only the finest malt liquors were carefully selected from among those in the aging cellar to produce this product. 4 types of liquors, aged in bourbon barrels distilled in 2019, Islay Quarter barrels, Mizunara oak barrels distilled in 2020, and KOVAL whisky barrels, were carefully vatted using the technology and experience cultivated in the “AMAHAGAN” process. The four types of whisky casks were carefully vatted using the techniques and experience cultivated in the AMAHAGAN.
The key malts in this product are bourbon barrel-aged and Islay Quarter barrel-aged. Both are peaty and have a strong smoky flavor. The addition of Mizunara oak and Koval whisky barrel-aged malt gives the beer an exquisite balance of oriental, heavy, and bitter flavors.
Reference: Nagahama Roman Beer official website

2. Product Specifications

Product name	Single Malt Nagahama THE THIRD BATCH
Distillate	Single malt whisky
Casks	Bourbon casks, Islay Quarter casks, Quercus crispula casks, KOVAL whisky casks
Number of bottles	10,000 bottles
Suggested Retail Price	11,000 yen (including tax)

Tasting comment
◆Color
A shimmering amber color.
◆Aroma
Delicate and fresh top notes. Malty essence with a pronounced smoky flavor. Sweet aroma like milk chocolate and chocolate cookie. Next, raisins, apricot candies, persimmon and other fruits, and finally a smoky aftertaste reminiscent of the end of a bonfire.
◆Taste
Malt sweetness and a milky smooth mouthfeel. Softness of caramel and maple syrup. Smoky accents that appear towards the aftertaste show a strong character, and the peat smoke lingers for a long time.
Reference: Nagahama Roman Beer official website

3. 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, located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, has both a craft beer brewery and a restaurant. Few distilleries, including major whisky distilleries, have their own restaurants, and craft whisky distilleries 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, which was renovated and started 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 crusher 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. The advantage of this distillery is that it produces a clear, soft liquor with less cloying taste.

Trial and error was repeated between the establishment of the company and now. Major changes include a change in the malt crush ratio and a change in fermentation time, which was originally 60 hours but has now been increased to 72 hours. In addition, 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 under the spirit of “one brew, one barrel.