Nagahama Distillery, one of the smallest distilleries in Japan, is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture.
Nagahama Distillery began operating and distilling whisky in 2016.
Inspired by Scottish craft distilleries, the distillery features rich, fruity, grain-derived, richly sweet, undiluted whisky that flows from its alambic-shaped pot stills and ultra-thin line arms.
Six years have passed since the distillery started operation, and one barrel is brewed per day in the spirit of the distillery’s concept of “one brew, one barrel.”
1. Single Malt Nagahama Oumi Pilsner Aged Cask Hand Fill
Image source: official X (formerly Twitter)
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| Alcohol content | 56.5% (5% alcohol by volume) |
| By Liquor | Single Malt Japanese whisky |
| Barrel type | Bourbon Barrel 3 years Aged 2 years in KOVAL casks where Nagahama Roman Beer “Oumi Pilsner” was aged |
| Volume | 500ml |
| Release date | September 14, 2023 |
| Suggested retail price |
16,500 yen (tax included) |
2.Previous Single Malt Nagahama
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, 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 (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 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, 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, which was initially 60 hours but has now been increased to 72 hours. 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. The distillery has undergone various changes in the roughly four years since its establishment, including the following.
Image source: Nagahama Distillery Official Facebook
Image source: Nagahama Distillery Official Facebook
Reference: whisky｜Nagahama Roman Beer
For more information about Nagahama Distillery and other distilleries, please see this article.
4.Summary
This product is a “hand-filled” distillery-only product, so you have to visit the distillery to buy it.
In addition to the single malt Nagahama, 500ml of “AMAHAGAN”, also hand-filled, is also available only at the distillery, and readers will surely know the chemistry between peated and sherry casks, which are aged in sherry casks that add depth to the robust peated flavor.
We are very envious of those who live nearby.
Nagahama Fest ” organized by Nagahama Distillery will also be held this weekend on September 16, so those who live far away may want to make plans to attend this event as well.
