Nagahama Distillery to release the second edition Chateau Mont-Pérat from Amahagan. Pre-orders are now available at the online store.
Previously released by the same AMAHAGAN in 2022 and again in April 2024 with the single malt Nagahama THE Mont-Pérat BATCH, this time, after two years, the AMAHAGAN series has released information on the release of a product using Chateau Mont-Pérat barrels.
This time, it is a collaboration with the popular wine manga “Drops of GOD,” which has entered its third part, and the tasting notes include comments from the main character “Kanzaki Shizuku,” making this bottle a must-have for fans.
It is already available for pre-order at the official online store.
1. Kami no Shizuku Amahagan Edition Chateau Mont-Pérat
Nagahama Distillery has received a supply of casks from Chateau Mont-Pérat in Bordeaux, France, and will release a limited quantity of “Drops of GOD Amahagan Edition Chateau Mont-Pérat” aged in those casks on October 22, 2024 (Tuesday). The online store will begin accepting pre-orders from 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
This is the second product following “Amahagan Chateau Montpellier” released by the distillery in March 2022. It is a special whiskey aged in the casks of “Chateau Montpellier,” which instantly became a Cinderella wine after it was introduced in the first volume of “Drops of GOD,” now a world-famous wine manga. The whisky was carefully post-aged for 2 years and 4 months on the second floor of the “AZAI FACTORY,” a maturing warehouse that reused a closed elementary school, even longer than the previous first batch. By maturing in an environment with many temperature differences, we were able to create a whiskey with a stronger sense of the individuality of the casks. The illustration was drawn by Shu Okimoto. Please enjoy the gorgeous flavor of “Drops of GOD Amahagan Edition Chateau Mont-Pérat,” which is aged entirely in Chateau Mont-Pérat barrels.
Drops of GOD” – Synopsis
Yutaka Kanzaki, a wine critic who influences the world’s market value, passes away and leaves behind a wine collection with a market value of over 2 billion yen. The best bottle at the top of the collection is “Drops of GOD”. Only the one who can guess the brand name and production year of the 12 bottles of wine he selected, “Apostle” and “Drops of GOD,” will be able to obtain the inheritance. His own son, Shizuku, and his adopted son, Issei, challenge this “Apostle” duel!
2. Product Specifications
| Product name | Drops of GOD AMAHAGAN Edition Chateau Mont-Pérat |
| By Sake | Blended Malt Whiskey |
| cask liquor, aged for 2 years and 4 months in the AZAI FACTORY | Aged for 2 years and 4 months in the AZAI FACTORY, an elementary school aging house |
| Number of bottles | 4,000 bottles |
| Alcohol content | 47% alcohol by volume |
| Suggested Retail Price | 8,250 yen (tax included) |
＜Tasting comment by Mr. Shizuku Kanzaki
The end of summer. A corner of a park where people have left and quietness has returned.
A young man is playing his alto saxophone lightly against the candy-colored sky at dusk.
The sweet, soft tones echo through the twilight.
The only person listening to the performance is a woman with long hair standing in the shade of a tree.
As she gently closes her eyes, she wonders if her heart is filled with thoughts of days gone by, or with hope for tomorrow.
The “Drops of GOD Amahagan Edition Chateau Mont-Pérat” is a soft jazz number played by an alto saxophone.＜Tasting comment by Yusuke Yahisa, Chief Blender at Nagahama Distillery
Vivid amber color.
The aroma is malty, fresh and fruity, reminiscent of white peaches and oranges. The aroma is sweet, reminiscent of sweet potatoes and brown sugar. The floral aroma is long lasting and reminiscent of golden osmanthus.
Smooth on the palate. Caramel and honey-like sweetness. When the wine is watered down, it opens up with milky, delicate oak accents. The refreshing and leafy aftertaste lingers for a long time.Reference: Drops of GOD Amahagan Edition Chateau Montpellier| Nagahama Romantic Beer Online Shop
3. about Nagahama Distillery and Ch. Mont-Pérat
3₋1. 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 whiskey distilleries, have restaurants attached to them, and when it comes to craft whiskey distilleries, they are very rare.
The unique shape of the pot stills installed in the distillery reminds us of the very origin of whiskey 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 whiskey 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. This alambic type pot still is a rare type of distiller in Japan. The feature of this distiller is that it has the advantage of producing clear, soft liquor with little miscellaneous taste.
Trial and error was repeated between the establishment of the company and the present. Major changes include a change in the malt mash ratio and a change in fermentation time, which was initially 60 hours but has now been changed to 72 hours. After that, distillation was done while adjusting the fermentation time in order to create different types of original sake. The number of distillation vessels was increased from two to three. When the distillery was founded, the first distillation kettle was 1,000 liters and the second distillation kettle was 500 liters, but the second distillation kettle was also replaced, and all three distillation kettles were unified to 1,000 liters. The rest of the redistillation kettles are almost never cleaned, following the example of Scottish distilleries. We have made many changes since our establishment until now.
Nevertheless, the spirit of the concept “one brew, one barrel” has remained unchanged and they continue to make whiskey.
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Reference: Whiskey｜Nagahama Romantic Beer
About Ch. Mont-Pérat
The Despagne family has been making wine for 250 years. This historic family has owned Mont-Pérat since 1998.
The consultant who expressed this terroir was Michel Rolland. He is a genius winemaker who has worked on Cinderella wines from the Right Bank such as “Le Pain” and “Chateau Clinet,” as well as “Harlan Estate,” which is known as a cult wine in California.
His rigorous cultivation, carried out in a rich terroir, on par with that of a classified chateau, has resulted in incredibly high-cost wines.
Citation: Enoteca Online
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.
