The second single malt product “Single Malt Nagahama THE SECOND BATCH”, vatting only its own distillate, will be released, vatting four types of matured original spirits distilled in 2019, using the technology and experience cultivated in “AMAHAGAN”.
We are very pleased to be able to offer you a new single malt made exclusively from the Nagahama Distillery following the release of “THE FIRST BATCH” in October 2022. We are very pleased to be able to offer you a new single malt made exclusively from Nagahama Distillery’s original sake.
In the production of this product, only the finest malt sake was carefully selected from among the original sake in the aging cellar in the spirit of “one brewing, one barrel”. We carefully vatted four different types of aged spirits, including Oloroso sherry casks, KOVAL whisky casks, Islay quarter casks, and bourbon quarter casks from the 2019 distillation, using the techniques and experience we have cultivated with “AMAHAGAN”.
The rich and mellow flavor of the Nagahama sherry casks, the key malt, mingles with the other malts to create an elegant yet somehow melancholy balance. We hope you will enjoy it to your heart’s content.
<Nagahama Distillery>
Nagahama Distillery is the smallest craft distillery in Japan, and was established in 2016 within the Nagahama Roman Beer complex, nurtured by Lake Biwa, Mt. The small alambic-shaped pot stills and ultra-thin line arms produce the characteristic rich-tasting sake on a daily basis.
Reference: Nagahama Roman Beer official website
The release date is Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Limited to 13,000 bottles at 11,000 yen including tax.
Applications for the lottery started on April 25 on the official website of Nagahama Distillery.
1. About the lottery application
The application for the lottery has started on the official website of Nagahama Distillery.
Click here for the application page.
Application period: April 25th – April 28th, until 11:59pm
Lottery results: “Winners only” will be notified on May 3 (Wed.) to the e-mail address entered at the time of application.
2. Single Malt Nagahama THE SECOND BATCH
| Product name | Single Malt Nagahama THE SECOND BATCH |
| Sake |
Single Malt Japanese Whisky |
| Ingredients | Malt |
| Casks | Oloroso sherry casks, KOVAL whisky casks, Islay quarter casks, Bourbon quarter casks |
| Number of bottles | Limited to 13,000 bottles |
| Alcohol content |
50% |
| Price | 11,000 yen (tax included) |
| Manufactured at |
Nagahama Distillery |
| Producer | Nagahama Roman Beer Co. |
3. About Nagahama Distillery
Nagahama Distillery, one of the smallest distilleries in Japan, is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and has both 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, 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 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. One of the characteristics of this distillery is that it has the advantage of producing a clear, soft liquor with little miscellaneous 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 in the approximately four years since our establishment, such as the following.
4. Past releases of Nagahama Distillery products
4-1. Single Malt Nagahama THE FIRST BATCH
In the spirit of “one brew, one barrel,” we carefully select only the finest malt sake from among the bottles in our aging cellar. Using bourbon, sherry, Islay Quarter, and Mizunara oak barrel-aged bottles distilled between 2017 and 2019, we have carefully blended the wine using the techniques and experience we have cultivated with “AMAHAGAN”.
Please enjoy the malty and mellow flavor typical of Nagahama Distillery, as well as the exquisite harmony of the characteristics of each cask.
4-2. INAZUMA World Blended Whisky Extra Selected Edition No.3
Exchange of malt wines from three distilleries in Japan: “Nagahama Distillery,” “Eigashima Distillery,” and “Saburomaru Distillery“
The malt whisky owned by Nagahama Distillery is used as the key malt, and the malt whisky from the three domestic distilleries used in the synergy blend is blended with a different recipe composition. The long-aged grain whisky successfully connects the unique malt whiskies.
Whisky has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, and it is said that 90% of the whisky currently distributed in Japan is “blended whisky.” In Scotland, the home of blended whisky, there is an active exchange of whisky, resulting in the birth of many unique blended whiskies, and it is not uncommon for a single product to be a blend of whiskies from several distilleries. “INAZUAMA EDITION No. 3” is the first in the series to attempt to blend the original whiskies from three distilleries in Japan.
