Hokkaido’s alcoholic beverages and food are now attracting attention from all over the world.
The “Delicious Hokkaido Sake and Food Marché,” which attracted 50,000 visitors in three days last year, will be held for three days from June 30 to July 2 at a special venue in Sapporo Odori Park 8-chome.
This year, a total of 44 companies participated, including 17 Hokkaido wine companies, 14 sake companies, 8 craft beer companies, 4 whisky and gin companies, and 1 shochu and liqueur company.
Some hard-to-find sake will also be on display.
In addition, 12 restaurants from various parts of Hokkaido will be serving sake. Why not enjoy the marriage of sake and food?
The “Oyster Lullaby” from the Akkeshi Distillery, which can only be tasted at the event, is highly recommended!
Image source: TripEat Hokkaido
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1. How to purchase tickets
Admission to the venue is free, so there is no need to buy tickets or make other preparations in advance.
However, according to reports from previous years, there was a long line at 11:00 a.m. when the doors open, so if you really want to have something to drink or eat, we recommend that you get to the venue early.
However, for those who cannot make it within the three-day period, I would like to share some useful information in the next section!
| Venue | Odori-nishi 8-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042, Japan |
| Access | 8 minutes on foot from Exit 5 of “Odori” Subway Station Approximately 4 minutes on foot from Exit 4 of “Nishi 11-chome” Station on the Subway Tozai Line |
| Date and time | 11:00~20:00 on all three days (18:00 on the last day), last order 30 minutes prior to closing time |
| Price | Depends on the store |
| Organizer |
Image source: Hokkaido Sake and Food Delicious Marche
2. One-day-only “Delicious Dining for Sake and Food”
On Thursday, June 29, the day before the “Hokkaido Sake and Food Delicious Marché 2023,” a one-day-only “Sake and Food Delicious Dining” will be held at Tsuruga Buffet Dining!
It is worth considering as it will be easier to schedule your visit according to your schedule if you can only go on this day or if you would like to get there ahead of time!
A limited number of 100 people need to make reservations in advance on a first-come, first-served basis, but you can enjoy a wide variety of dishes using Hokkaido ingredients, including wine, whisky, and beer, which are popular at the venue, in a relaxed indoor setting.
An overview of the dining experience was published in TripEat Hokkaido, a web media specializing in Hokkaido’s food and tourism, please click here for more information.
*As of June 17, unfortunately all reservations have been made.
There is a possibility that the event will be held again next year, so it might be a good idea to keep this in mind!
2-1. Can I buy bottles at the venue?
There are no bottles of whisky for sale, but bottled beer, bottles of wine, and Niseko Distillery’s gin will be available in bottles.
2-2. Introduction of distilleries with stalls
Kenten Jitsugyo Akkeshi Distillery
“Akkeshi Distillery” is a new business venture by Kenten Jitsugyo Co.
With a strong desire to “make whisky like Islay malt using the traditional Scottish process,” the distillery has installed equipment made by Forsyth in Scotland.
The distillery uses water that has passed through a layer of peat for the brewing water, just like the whisky making process on Islay, and the whisky is matured daily in the cool, wet, and sea-breezed environment of “Akkeshi“.
| Location | 4-109-2 Miyazono, Akkeshi-cho, Akkeshi-gun, Hokkaido 088-1124 |
| Access |
Approximately 15 minutes by cab from JR Akkeshi Station |
| Start of operation | Distillation started in October 2016 |
| Official HP | Kenten Jitsugyo Akkeshi Distillery |
| Tours | Organized by “Akkeshi-Terminal Conchigliere“. Click here for application and details |
| Products | Akkeshi Newborn 1-4, Akkeshi Whisky Saron Kamui, Single Malt Whisky Kanro, Blended Whisky Usui, Single Malt Japanese Whisky Boshu, Blended Whisky Shosho, Single Malt Ritto, Blended Whisky Daikan |
| Nearby gourmet | Tabelog Hot Pepper Gurunavi Yahoo! |
| Accommodations & Tours | |
| Furusato Tax Payment | Oysters and other tastes of Akkeshi |
Typical Whisky from Akkeshi Distillery
Hokkaido Jiyu Whisky Beni Sakura Distillery
The Red Cherry Distillery is owned by Hokkaido Jiyu Whisky in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
It is a distillery that is currently the talk of the town not for its whisky, but for its craft gin. The gin distilled using ingredients unique to Hokkaido has a unique taste that immediately became a topic of conversation.
The company name is “Hokkaido Jiyu Whisky Co.”
Representative craft gin of Benizakura Distillery
Hakkai Jozo Niseko Distillery
Hakkai Brewery (Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture), which produces Hakkaiyama sake and other sake, will establish a local subsidiary ( Niseko Distillery Co., Ltd.) in 2019.
Construction of a whiskey distillery will begin in April 2020 in Niseko Town, Hokkaido, and will be completed in December 2020. Total investment is approximately 500 million yen.
Started distilling on March 24, 2021. Pod stills will be made by Forsyth of Scotland, and the whisky is expected to be released in 2024 or later.
The annual production target is approximately 90 kl.
The site area is approximately 9,900 square meters, and both distilleries (including a store) and storage facilities are single-story buildings. The total floor space is 877 m2 and 291 m2 respectively, designed in a wooden style to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
The grand opening is scheduled for October 1, 2021. The first product, craft gin “ohoro GIN,” will be on sale and distillery tours will begin. ohoro means “continuation” in the Ainu language. Tours of the distillery are available four times a day with a maximum of 10 people per tour, and reservations must be made two weeks in advance by noon the day before the desired date.
| Location of Niseko Distillery | 048-1511 478-15 Niseko, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Access | 20 minutes drive from JR Niseko Station |
| Start of operation | Distillation to begin in March 2021 |
| Official HP | Niseko Distillery |
| Visiting Niseko Distillery | Reservations can be made from the Niseko Distillery website (reservations can be made 2 weeks in advance until noon the day before the desired date) |
| Merchandise | Niseko distillery is located in Niseko, Hokkaido. |
| Nearby gourmet | Tabelog Hot Pepper Gurunavi Yahoo! |
| Accommodations & Tours | Jalan Ikyu Rakuten Travel JTB HIS |
| Furusato Tax | Taste of Niseko and Luxury Hotels |
Shakotan Spirit
Inspired by the topography and climate of Shakotan Town, which is similar to Scotland, we started developing craft gin in 2015 as part of our regional development project and will open in the spring of 2020.
Shakotan Spirit, a craft gin based on the red Ezo spruce, which the Ainu people called “goddess of the forest,” was created by blending about 100 botanicals (aromatic plants) grown in the company’s dedicated botanical garden.
The distilled spirit is also known as “fire wine,” and the brand name “HONOHO” expresses the hope for the future that the gin born in Shakotan, where the peninsula was born from volcanic activity and the traditional event “Tengu no Hiwatari” is held, will sail to the world with a tailwind in its sails.
In addition to gin, we also consistently release liqueurs, absinthe, blended gin, and more.
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- Shakotan Spirits Official Twitter
| Location | 229-1 Aza Uento, Nozuka-cho, Shakotan-cho, Shakotan-gun, Hokkaido 046-0325, Japan |
| Access from Shakotan Town Hall | 18 minutes drive from Shakotan Town Hall |
| Start of operation | 2020 (the year of the first operation) |
| Official HP | Shakotan Blue Distillery |
| Tours | Only during events |
| Merchandise | Hinoho GIN |
Representative gin of Shakotan Spirits
3. Finally
Although the whisky itself may seem a little lonely with so few stalls, this event more than makes up for it with a wide variety of Hokkaido’s alcoholic beverages and food, all of which are very appealing.
Cheese, beef tongue, seafood, steak, and “Oyster Lullaby” highballs in hand, you will be happy to taste the flavors of Hokkaido to your heart’s content.
If you can make it to the venue, why not take advantage of the weekend and go?
■Upcoming Whisky Festivals
