[New distillery] Yabu distillery, Hyogo.

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Yabu Distillery

The new distillery, Yabu Distillery, started production in the Nakama area, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture. What are its features and the flavour it aims to produce?

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1.What is With One Co.

Ltd. is a liquor distributor in Osaka City, which is also engaged in manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and is partly famous for planning and selling whisky under the name ‘Azabu’.

This time, the company started whisky distilling in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, as a new distillery construction.

Company name. With One Co.
Location. (Osaka Head Office) EDGE Yodoyabashi Building 6F, 2-4-10 Imabashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 541-0042, Japan
(Kobe Branch Office) Maruichi Building 202, 3-7-23 Matsunodori, Nagata-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 653-0841, Japan
Business activities Manufacture of alcoholic beverages (whisky)
Wholesale of alcoholic beverages
Liquor retailing
Amusement business

2. What is the Yabu distillery?

Distillation will start in September 2023 in Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, with the aim of shipping single malt in 2026.

The distillery will focus on expanding overseas sales channels as well as general sales, and is planning to open the distillery to the public for tours in the future. The city has high expectations for the distillery as a tourist base and as a tax return gift.

In addition to the beautiful mountain scenery, the distillery is located near the Amadaki Waterfall, one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan, and is rich in nature, with a clear stream running right next to the distillery.

 

 

(Image exhibit: Yabu Distillery official website )

 

The Whiz One Yabu Distillery, a whisky distillery, was completed in Nakama, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture. Whiz One (Osaka City), a wholesaler and retailer of alcoholic beverages, has begun production of single malt whisky, aiming to make its first shipment in July 2026.

 The 8,000-square-metre site of a former poultry farm will be equipped with one distillery building and two cask storage buildings. It can accommodate 2,400 barrels and has the capacity to produce 130,000 litres of sake.

 According to Vice-President Yatsuka, Japanese whisky is very popular overseas and 60% is planned to be exported. The price range is expected to be between 8,000 and 10,000 yen for 700ml. The beautiful mountain scenery and good water quality are said to be the reasons for the selection of the planned site. The barley dregs and distillation lees generated in the production process will be supplied as feed to nearby cattle farmers.

 Kenji Hosoi, former head of Nikka Whisky’s Technical Development Centre, was invited as a production advisor. Mr Hosoi expressed his enthusiasm: ‘I want to reproduce the deep, rich flavour.

Citation: Asahi Shimbun Digital

Distillery name Yabu Distillery
Location 848 Chunaka, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture

3.What are the characteristics and the taste you are aiming for?

The distillery manager, Mr Katsumoto, has broadened his knowledge of different types of spirits while managing the liquor sold at a major liquor retailer, and has trained and gained experience at distilleries all over Japan under the supervision of two people listed below.

Mr Hosoi, former director of the Nikka Whisky Technical Development Centre, and Mr Shimizu, doctor of agriculture, wine brewing technical manager and certified engineer (bioengineering), have been invited to supervise the distillery, and their aim is to create a unique whisky.

The distillery advocates three key points.

  1. Performing filtration using a patented technology before storage
  2. The use of wooden fermentation tanks and the application of a third micro-organism other than yeast and lactic acid bacteria
  3. The introduction of an Italian Frilli distiller.

In point 1.

We will work to optimise the storage period by selectively adsorbing and removing unripe odour components using innovative filtration technology prior to storage.

It is stated that the process is based on the premise of filtration before storage, a process that is rarely heard of in other distilleries.

The distillery states that this process will remove miscellaneous flavours, and it will be interesting to see what effect this will have on the finished whisky.

In point 2.

While stainless steel tanks allow for thorough hygiene and temperature control, resulting in a clean and stable quality of the whisky, wooden vats are thought to require more labour for maintenance, etc., as well as bacteria living in the crevices inside the wood.

From Hosoi’s overview and other sources, it is assumed that the other micro-organism is mould fungus.

It is not harmful to the human body and is commonly found in wine barrels and Scottish whisky factories, and it has been noted that it may contribute to the flavour components to whisky.

In point 3.

It is famous as a distiller of grappa and spirits only in Italy, and is now also used by the Teeling distillery in Ireland. There may be more new distilleries using it worldwide in the future.

 

For the official website of Yabu Distillery, click here.

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櫻井 和人

Born in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture
He loves all kinds of luxury goods, and was so impressed by the diversity of craft gin that he decided to become a bartender at the age of 30.
While working as a bartender, he visited BAR Shinkai and joined BAR Shinkai to learn more about the wide variety of Japanese craft whiskeys.
He is now working hard both on site and on the web so that more and more people can enjoy the pleasure of experiencing the best of the finest.

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