We reviewed a private cask owner’s bottle of Gaia Flow Shizuoka from THE ONE Highball Club in Osaka, which is well-known for Mossan’s Highball Club on yutuber .
We received a private cask bottle of Gaia Flow Shizuoka from THE ONE Highball Club in Osaka, which is also well known in Mossan’s Highball Club.
We would like to introduce the bottle and its details.
１．Photo of the bottle
Single Cask Shizuoka 4years for Highball Club THE ONE
Single Cask SHIZUOKA 4years for Highball Club THE ONE 
２．Features of Single Cask SHIZUOKA 4years for Highball Club THE ONE
This is a wash still (first distillation kettle) used at the now legendary Karuizawa distillery.
This is one of the four distillers that existed at the Karuizawa whisky Distillery, which was closed in 2012. It was actually reassembled by combining parts from three units in good condition. The kettle itself was used as a redistillation kettle.
The head and line arms are long compared to the size of the kettle, giving it a unique shape. Combined with distillation by indirect steam heating, it produces a light, fruity, and ethereal quality of liquor.
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2-1. Tasting Notes
Aroma Strong roasted almond, leather goods, cherries, grapefruit Taste Burnt toast, hazelnut, maple syrup, oily nuances Aftertaste Grapefruit-like acidity, burnt peat, and a lingering finish. 2-2. Product Specifications
| Alcohol Content | 60.9% alcohol by volume |
| By Sake | Single Cask Japanese whisky |
| Cask type | EX Bourbon |
| Content Volume | 700ml |
| Number of bottles sold | 37 bottles |
| Suggested Retail Price | Retail price |
| Cask fill | January 28, 2025 |
2-3. Prices offered at BAR Shinkai
At “BAR Shinkai” operated by this site, we offer small quantities such as 1 glass, 45ml: 3,300 yen 30ml: 2,200 yen, 15ml: 1,100 yen, etc.
3. High Ball Club THE ONE
| Store name | High Ball Club THE ONE |
| Address | 534-0015 2-3-28 Zengenji-cho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka |
| SNS | Instagram：Highball Club THE ONE YOUTUBE: Mossan’s Highball Club |
The owner of the Highball Club, affectionately known as “Mossan”.
The owner of Mossan’s Highball Club, affectionately known as “Mossan”, is a master of the highball. With the slogan “This is the best!”, his videos not only show tastings, but also offer suggestions on how to drink and enjoy highballs, and show his respect and enthusiasm for distilleries, but also delve into the dark side of the industry.
4. About Gaia Flow Distilling Co.
Gaia Flow Distilling Co. which produces Shizuoka Pot Still K Jun Nippon Barley 2023 Edition, is a whisky production company established in 2014. Group company Gaiaflow Co. also imports and sells whisky.
| Company Name | Gaia Flow Distilling Co. |
| Established | October 8, 2014 |
| Head office address | 555 Ochiai, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 421-2223, Japan |
| Distilleries owned | Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery |
5.What is Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery?
The distillery that produces Shizuoka Pot Still K Jun Nippon Barley 2023 is Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery
| Distillery name | Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery |
| Location | 555 Ochiai, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 421-2223, Japan |
| Start of operation | 2016 |
Established Gaia Flow Distilling Co. on October 8, 2014.
Construction of Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery completed on August 9, 2016.
In the same year, whisky production started on October 28.
The distillery is located in the Tamagawa district of the Occidental area of Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the banks of the Abe Nakagouchi River, a tributary of the Abe River, a first-class river.
Surrounded by beautiful 400-meter-high mountains at an elevation of around 200 meters, the temperature is always 2 to 3 degrees cooler than in the city center, making it a truly favorable location.
The building was designed with the theme of fusion of Japanese beauty and Western culture, and in collaboration with Derek Baston, an American architect living in Shizuoka, the interior and exterior of the whisky distillery are made with extensive use of Shizuoka wood, making it a beautiful looking distillery.
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Shizuoka Distillery operates two first distillation machines named “K” and “W.” K is the historic Karuizawa distillation machine manufactured in Japan in the 1950s, and was moved to Shizuoka Distillery from Karuizawa distillery, which regrettably closed in November 2011, and the legendary machine was restored after repairs and renovations. Its graceful silhouette and the indirect heating of steam produce a light and floral tasting distilled spirit.
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The left foreground in the photo below is probably the world’s only “wood-fired direct distillation machine” made by Forsyth in Scotland, and this distiller is W.
This time, Prologue W is made from the original spirit distilled by this distiller. The very characteristic of direct-fired distillation is temperature. While the temperature for general indirect-heat distillation is around 150°C, the wood-fired direct distillation at Shizuoka Distillery is 800°C, which can produce a fragrant and powerful type of malt base spirit.
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For the fermentation tank, wooden vats made of local Shizuoka cedar are used. Shizuoka City is known for its forestry industry, and the distillery chose to use locally grown cedar in the hope of creating a whisky that is uniquely Shizuoka.
The malt mill used to grind malt (barley malt), which is the raw material for whisky, is also a historical machine that was used at the Karuizawa distillery and has been moved to the same location as the “K” distillation machine.
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Shizuoka has a warmer climate than Scotland, and the design dares to create a difference in temperature by installing windows in the ceiling of the cellar for lighting. Because of this, the original sake being aged in the cellar is expected to evaporate at least 5% per year in the angel’s share.
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The distillery has a tasting corner where visitors can sample Shizuoka Distillery’s original sake and other products (for a fee). The Shizuoka distillery also imports and sells whisky, and you can sample the Indian whisky ” Amrut ” and Scottish bottlers “Black Adder” and “Astamoris”.
For more information about Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery, please see also here↓.
6. Summary
This is an official product of Shizuoka Distillery and is recommended for both Gaiaflow fans and those who like peated whisky, as there is no other official product with this much peat. The size of the cask is also octavo, which gives it a matured feel.
This is a bottle that we like to drink with a strong highball or on the rocks, as is typical of the Highball Club.
Please take a look at other articles about Shizuoka Distillery.
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.
