日本威士忌蒸馏厂列表（2025年11月更新，共计118处）

1. Hokkaido Region

1-1. Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery

Nikka Whisky founder Masataka Taketsuru, known as the father of Japanese whisky, started operations at this distillery in 1936 in search of his ideal home for whisky making.

Masataka Taketsuru believed that a cool and humid climate similar to that of Scotland, rich water sources and dignified, clean air were essential for ideal whisky production, and selected Yoichi, located at the base of the Shakotan Peninsula west of Otaru, from a variety of candidate sites.

This whisky distillery can truly be called the starting point of Nikka Whisky.

Location.	046-0003 7-6, Kurokawa-cho, Yoichi-cho, Yoichi-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	2-3 min walk from JR Hokkaido Yoichi Station. 30 mins drive from Otaru City. Approximately 1 hr 30 mins from Sapporo by car. Approx. 2 hr 30 mins from New Chitose Airport by car.
Start of operation	1936
Official website	Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery
Visiting	General public tours / Guided tours of the distillery are available by appointment only. *If a state of emergency is declared or priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease are issued or applied to an area in Hokkaido, tours and business (restaurants and shops) will be suspended until the measures are lifted.
Products	Single malt Yoichi
Shop attached to the distillery	Yoichi distillery Tasting bar Nikka Kaikan Restaurant Barrels

Representative whiskies of Yoichi Distillery.

https://jpwhisky.net/catalog/nikka/

More information about the distillery

If you want to know even more about the distillery, click here↓.

余市蒸溜所(ニッカウヰスキー)｜蒸留所詳細情報

日本で２番目に開設されたウイスキー蒸溜所「ニッカウヰスキー　余市蒸溜所」竹鶴正孝は、鳥井信治郎と共に「山崎蒸溜所」を開設後、スコットランドで学んだウイスキーづくりを一切の妥協なく再現するため、スコットランドに似た気候と自然環境を求め、たどり...

jpwhisky.net

1-2. Kenten Jitsugyo Akkeshi Distillery

The Akkeshii Distillery was set up as a new business separate from the company’s core business by Kanten Jitsugyo Co.
With a strong desire to ‘make whisky like Islay malt using traditional Scottish methods’, the distillery has installed equipment made by Forsyth in Scotland.

As with the whisky production on Islay, water that has passed through peat layers is used for the brewing water, and the whisky is matured daily on Akkeshi, a cool, wet and sea-breezed place.

The 24 Season Series releases whiskies bearing the names of the seasons (e.g. vernal equinox and summer solstice), which further divide spring, summer, autumn and winter into six parts. single malt and blended alternatives are released every three months and are highly popular.

As mentioned below, there are plans to build another distillery in Furano, and all-Hokkaido whisky is well on its way to becoming a reality.

Location.	088-1124 4-109-2 Miyazono, Akkeshii-cho, Akkeshii-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	15 minutes by taxi from JR Akkeshii Station. From Kushiro Airport to JR Kushiro Station, 50 mins by Akan Bus. From JR Kushiro Station to JR Akkeshii Station, approx. 50 mins by JR Nemuro Line.
Start of operations	Distillation started in October 2016.
Official website	Kakuten Jitsugyo K.K. Akkeshi Distillery
Tours	Organised by the Akkeshii Taste Terminal Concilier. Click here for application and details.
Products	Akkeshii Newborn 1-4, Akkeshii Whisky Saron Kamui, Single Malt Whisky Kankuro, Blended Whisky Amemizu, Single Malt Japanese Whisky Glauber, Blended Whisky Kisetsu, Single Malt Rittou, Blended Whisky Daichan, etc.

More information about the distillery

If you want to know more about the distillery, click here↓.

厚岸蒸溜所（堅展実業）｜北海道地方｜蒸留所詳細情報

北海道の東部、厚岸町で2016年に操業。アイラモルトのようなジャパニーズウイスキーを目指し、伝統的なスコッチウイスキーの製法を採用。アイラ島の気候に似た厚岸の地で熟成。厚岸二十四節気シリーズは愛好家からの評価も高い。厚岸蒸溜所の製造スペック...

jpwhisky.net

1-3. Kenten Jitsugyo Furano Distillery

The Akkeshii distillery is one of the leading craft whisky producers in Japan. Kakken Jitsugyo chose Furano as the site for its second distillery.

The distillery has been producing using barley from Furano for some time and has also been experimentally maturing its whisky in Furano.
Once the project was abandoned because it did not meet the town’s drainage standards, but a new candidate site was selected in the Nakafurano area.
The trademark has already been registered as [Furano Distillery].

It has already been decided that the whiskey from Akkeshii, which is matured in Furano, will be released in 2025.

 

Location.	Nakafurano Town, Hokkaido
Access.	Nakafurano Town, Hokkaido
Start of operations	From 2027 at the earliest
Official website	ー
Tour	To be determined
Products	ー

1-4 Hakkai Brewery Niseko Distillery

Hakkai Brewery (Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture), which produces Hakkaiyama sake and other Japanese sake, established a local subsidiary ( Niseko Distillery Co., Ltd.) in 2019.
Construction of a whisky distillery in Niseko Town, Hokkaido, started in April 2020 and completed in December 2020. Total investment is approximately JPY 500 million.
Start of distillation on 24 March 2021. Pod stills will be made by Forsyth, Scotland, and the whisky is expected to be released after 2024.
The annual production target is approximately 90kl.

The site area is approximately 9,900 m2, and both distilleries (including a shop) and storage facilities are single-storey buildings. The total floor space is 877 m2 and 291 m2 respectively, with a wooden-style design to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
A merchandise sales corner will open by July 2021. It is planned to start selling original gin, sake and goods.
→ Grand opening on 1 October 2021. The first product, craft gin ‘ohoro GIN’, will go on sale and distillery tours will begin. ohoro means ‘to continue’ in the Ainu language. Distillery tours are available four times a day, with a maximum of 10 people per tour, by prior booking two weeks in advance until noon the day before the desired date.

Location.	Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan. 478-15 Niseko, Niseko Town, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	20 minutes drive from JR Niseko Station.
Start of operation	Distillation starts in March 2021.
Official website	Niseko Distillery
Visiting	Reservations can be made via the Niseko Distillery website (reservations can be made two weeks in advance until noon the day before the desired date).
Products	Niseko distillery
Gourmet food in the area	View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on EatingLog View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Hot Pepper View a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Gurunavi See a list of restaurants near Niseko Station on Yahoo!

Gourmet information around Niseko

ニセコ・ルスツ周辺で人気のグルメ ランキングTOP20 | 食べ...

ニセコ・ルスツ周辺にあるお店の中から、食べログユーザーおすすめの人気ランキングTOP20を発表！（2025年11月1日時点のランキングを表示中）グルメ ランキングは毎月更新！日本最大級のグルメサイト「食べログ」では、ユーザーの口コミ・評価か...

tabelog.com

Accommodation and tour information around Niseko Distillery

ニセコ・ルスツのホテル - 宿泊予約は＜じゃらん＞

じゃらんならおすすめ宿のお得な期間限定プランが満載。当日／直前のオンライン予約もOK。ホテル旅館の宿泊予約は国内最大級の旅行情報サイト＜じゃらん＞

www.jalan.net

1-5 Kamui Whiskey Company Rishiri Distillery

American entrepreneur Casey Wall has been visiting Rishiri many times for several years on trips and other occasions. He overlapped the island of Rishiri with the island of Islay, which is famous for its whisky production, and decided to make whisky in Rishiri, the northernmost island in Japan, in 2019 because of its rich nature and cool climate, which are similar.

He is enthusiastic about producing something that expresses the nature of the island. The distillery was built along the Kamii coast on the western side of the island, where the view of Rebun Island and the Sea of Japan can be seen. The facilities, including the distillery and office, are approximately 180 square metres in size. It is a one-storey wooden structure with black-painted walls and two distillation machines hand-made by craftsmen in the USA. Barley from Hokkaido and the UK is used as the raw material, and approximately 6,000-10,000 litres are produced annually. Project costs are undisclosed.

To date, only the new make has been sold and the maturation status is unknown; the whisky is scheduled for release in 2025.

Location.	097-0401 128-2, Aza Kamii, Kutsugata, Rishiri-cho, Rishiri-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	50 minutes by plane from New Chitose Airport to Rishiri Airport (*seasonal flights). Approximately 6 hours by car from Sapporo to Wakkanai, and 1 hour and 50 minutes by ferry from Wakkanai to Rishiri Island.
Start of operations	Distillation is scheduled to start in September 2022.
Official website	Kamui Whisky
Tours	Tour of the distillery
Products	Kamui Original Sake (New Make)

1-6.MAOI Corporation Maoi Distillery

Location.	Kagadori, Naganuma-cho, Yubari-gun, Hokkaido 069-1316, Japan
Access.	About 10 minutes by car from Furuyama Station, 1 hour on foot.
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2022
Official website	Maoi Distillery
Visiting	Reservations can be made via the official website of the Umaoi Distillery: “Tours are held twice a day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 13:00 to 15:00”.
Products	Metamorphosis (new make).

1-7. BEHIND THE CASK Dee Tripper Distillery

Location.	32-5 Motomachi, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0054, Japan
Access.	5-minute walk from Suehirocho tram stop.
Start of operation	Start of distillation in 2023
Official website	BEHIND THE CASK
Visiting	Visit
Products	Di TRIPPER HARVEST-22.1

1-8. Venture Grain Tomakomai Distillery

Venture Whisky Company, which produces Ichiro’s Malt, a leading domestic craft whisky, is building a distillery in Tomakomai. It plans to produce ‘grain whisky’ using corn and other ingredients.

The planned opening was in spring 2025, but seems to have been delayed a little. Production will begin after completion. A site of approximately 6.6 hectares has been secured in the eastern Tomakomai area, with an expected annual production of approximately 2.4 million litres.

The plant appears to be very large in terms of facilities, is highly automated and will be operated by about three people at any one time.

All design and equipment will be by Forsyth and the plant will use the company’s continuous distillation equipment.

Location.	Kashiwabara, Tomakomai, Hokkaido 059-1362
Access.	30 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport.
Start of operation	Currently under construction, scheduled to start in spring 2025.
Official website	Official website
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-9.Cedarfield Chitose Distillery, Cedarfield, IJW, USA

IJW has acquired a site close to New Chitose Airport in the USA, which is said to be about 165,000 square metres and is scheduled to start operations as early as the end of 2024. In terms of scale, it is larger than the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido and comparable in size to the Fuji Gotemba distillery.

No detailed information has been released.
IJW seems to be a company doing something like a Kentucky bourbon bottler, but local articles say that the actual status of the company is unknown. It is said to have an incredibly large warehouse in the USA with tens of thousands of bourbon and rye whiskey barrels inside.

In Japan, the company seems to have both pot stills for malt whisky production and column stills for grain whisky production, while adhering to voluntary standards for Japanese whisky.

Location.	1007-122, 239, 241, 277 Izumisawa, Chitose City
Access.	Chitose City, Chitose
Start of operation	Scheduled to start within 2025
Official website	Official website
Tour	Tour
Products	Products

1-10. Hasegawa Sangyo Tokachi Distillery

The Tokachi Distillery was established by a new company funded by liquor importers and wholesalers Scotch Malt Sales and Shinanoya, as well as local company Hasegawa Sangyo, and is scheduled to begin production in spring 2025. The distillery is under the banner of ‘All Tokachi Whisky’.

There will be a two-storey distillery building with a total floor area of approximately 1,400 square metres, and three maturation buildings with a total floor area of over 1,000 square metres.

The annual production is around 300,000 litres. Pot stills will be manufactured by Forsyth. The total project cost is said to be approximately 700 million yen, but can a distillery be built from scratch for that amount?

A membership website ‘Tokachi Whisky Club’ has been set up for the Tokachi distillery to start operation in autumn 2025, membership fund type subscription sales have started and membership is being recruited, the owner’s casks are sold out and membership is still being offered.

The exterior of the building already appears to be completed.

Location.	Tokachi Distillery, 160-72, Mizuho-machi, Fudauchi, Makubetsu-cho, Nakagawa-gun, Hokkaido, 089-0554, Japan.
Access
Start of operation	Scheduled for autumn 2025
Official HP	Official website
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-11.Sapporo Shusei Kogyo Sapporo Factory

Sapporo Shusei Kogyo was founded in Sapporo in 1933 as a shochu liquor manufacturer. The company celebrated its 90th anniversary on 27 October 2023.
The company is famous for its shochu, such as Sapporo Soft, which is made using water from Mt Teine, nurtured by the nature of Hokkaido.

Under the concept of ‘Hokkaido, the Land of Many Delights, Hokkaido’, the company produces Kitari, an authentic shochu made from ingredients grown in the land of Hokkaido, at its factory in the town of Atsusawabe in southern Hokkaido, as well as wine, whisky, liqueur, gin and other products made from Hokkaido ingredients.

There are two types of whisky: [Sapporo Whisky] and [Ezo].
As for production, currently only grain whisky is produced. The company also uses malt and grain from overseas, while developing its own blends of whisky.

Locations.	Head office: 1-1 Hassamu 10jo, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 063-0830 Atsusawabe Factory: 383 Aza-uzurazuzu, Atsusawabe-cho, Hiyama-gun, Hokkaido 043-1238, Japan.
Access	Access
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official website	SAPPORO WHISKY – Sapporo Shusei Kogyo Co.
Tours	Tour
Products	Sapporo Whisky, Ezo

1-12. Cheung Brothers’ Enterprise [Hong Kong] Tangu Distillery

Hong Kong gin manufacturer completes whisky distillery in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan, in April 2025.
Started distilling in July of the same year.

The distillery is a ‘public-private partnership’ with the town of Higashikawa in Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido, with a site area of 1834 square metres, a floor space of 507.96 square metres and a construction budget of approximately 500 million yen each to be paid by Higashikawa Town and Tangyu Distillery.

The area uses melted snow water from the Daisetsu Mountains in Hokkaido for its tap water.
The facilities will incorporate cutting-edge technology, such as the iStill, a new-generation distiller from the Netherlands that enables precise computer-controlled distillation, and a mash filter from the USA that efficiently removes water from spent mash and facilitates the re-use of the nutritious dregs.
The project aims to fuse the cutting-edge with tradition, for example by combining the traditional wooden vat fermentation process handed down in Japan.
Spanish sherry and Mizunara oak casks will be used.
Annual production of up to 60,000 litres of whisky.
There is also a tasting room at the Tan Hill distillery in Hong Kong.
The 150 m2 tasting room is located in The Mills, a renovated former spinning mill, where special tasting sessions and lectures on spirits are also held.

Location.	Head office: 301 The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street ,suen Wan,Hong Kong Distillery: Building A, 1-7-18 Higashi-cho, Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	Access
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Tankyu Distillery: Award-Winning Perfume Trees Gin & Single Malt Japanese Whisky
Visiting	Permitted *Reservations required.
Products	Perfume Trees Gin

1-13.Taiki Cosmic Glen Distillery

Construction of the distillery was announced with entrepreneur Takafumi Horie as director and Master of Whisky Shizutani.
The first cask owners have already been recruited. The distillery excels at spreading the word through social networking and information tools, such as media unveiling of the construction site and crowd-funding.

The aim is to have a locally made whisky, with the aim of burning Taiki Town peat on Taiki Town dent corn and maturing it in Taiki Town Quercus and other oak trees.

The first lot is matured in bourbon barrels. The distillery is also under construction, so we will cover the facilities and other aspects if there is further news.

Location.	18-3, Sanjo-dori, Taiki-machi, Hiroo-gun, Hokkaido.
Access.	The distillery is located at 18-3 Sanjo-dori, Sanjo, Hiroo-gun, Hokkaido.
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Instagram
Tour	Visit
Products	Products

1-14.Whisky Student Corporation Tobetsu Distillery

The distillery is located in Tobetsu-cho, Ishikari-gun, Hokkaido, in an 88-year-old wooden school building with historical value, which will be renovated and turned into a distillery with the aim of preserving it for future generations.
The distillery is small-scale (about 1/7th the size of a typical craft distillery), with 150 kg of malt per batch and a maximum annual production of 24,000 litres, but produces authentic malt whisky by single distillation and double distillation.
A style of Japanese whisky that follows the traditional Scottish process of distilling and separating the original spirit.
The area is also rich in peat and wheat cultivation, and has many aspects suitable for whisky production. By utilising local resources such as locally produced barley, Quercus crispula and peat, the company aims to produce whisky that is unique to Toubetsu.
The representative, Takashi Tanaka, has solid experience from eight years of whisky production at the Atsukishi distillery.
The company aims to start construction in June-July 2025.

Crowdfunding has supported the project to the tune of JPY 24 million, which is a major boost to the start-up.

Location.	Head office 3-11, Shinkotoni Jujo 5-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo
Access	Access
Start of operations	Production is scheduled to start in August 2026.
Official website	https://www.whisky-student.com/
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

1-15.Yoichi Rita Farm Sawamachi Distillery

This company produces highly regarded naturals in Yoichi.

The malt is mainly from Germany and matured in bourbon casks.
The company made an unusual sale by offering NFTs that could be exchanged for Rita Farm & Winery whisky at Furusato.

The company’s newly named distillery as Sawamachi Distillery has been in production since 2024.
The Yoichi Barley Subcommittee will be set up in 2025 to produce all-Yoichi whisky, using the town’s Mizunara oak casks, among others.

Location.	Sawamachi, Yoichi-cho, Yoichi-gun, Hokkaido
Access.	8 minutes by taxi from JR Yoichi Station.
Start of operation	Start of production in 2024
Official website	http://www.rita-farm.jp/index.html サワマチ蒸溜所 サワマチウイスキーは、北海道余市町にあるウイスキーの蒸溜所です。 ウイスキーの造り手であり農家でもある私たちは余市町の耕作放棄地（農地）で本格的な大麦の栽培を開始します。秋に収穫する余市産大麦は最新の製麦機を使い麦芽もウイスキーの造り手自ら... sawamachi.jp
Tours.	No tours are conducted.
Products	1-16.

1-16.Seibu Holdings and Karuizawa Distillers’ Manufacturing FURALISS Furaliss Distillery

FURALISS Furashi Distillery was announced by Karuizawa Distillers, which owns the Komoro distillery, on land in Furano City owned by the Seibu Group.

The two companies and Furano City have signed an agreement and the distillery is scheduled to open in 2028.

Location.	2204-1, Aza Furano-shiri-kishibanai, Furano City, Hokkaido
Access.	Access
Start of operation	From 2028 at the earliest
Official website	Official website
Tour	Tour
Products	Products

WHISTECH Corporation Kamifurano distillery (temporary)

There is no longer a website and the plan has been scrapped.

The plan is to build a facility with camping, spa and distillery tours, as well as distillery consulting services.
As the distillery has not yet been built, consulting and other services will probably have to wait, but it appears to incorporate a distillery as part of the entertainment facilities. After distillation, the distillery will be matured in Mizunara and owner’s casks using NFT will be sold in the future.

Other things related to the whisky business, such as Mizunara cask sales and stick sales, appear to be already in motion.

2025/5/27 Postscript.
The company’s website is now under maintenance. Unclear whether plans are ongoing.

Location.	Kamifurano Town, Sorachi District, Hokkaido
Access.	Kami Furano Town, Sorachi County, Hokkaido
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Kamifurano distillery and surrounding entertainment facilities project – WHISTECH Co.
Tour of the distillery	Tour
Products	Products

Age Co. Hokkaido Whisky Co.Chitose Distillery

Due to rising construction costs, news of the abandonment of construction came on 9 July 2024.

The parent company is AZE, which operates the Benizakura and Chitose distilleries.
It seems that a whisky distillery and a sake brewery will be built on a site adjacent to New Chitose Airport, the gateway to Hokkaido.
The site is 6034.76 m2, on the former parking lot of the Chitose Outlet Mall Rera.

Image credit: AZE holding.

Location.	1 Kashiwadai Minami, Chitose City, Hokkaido
Access.	Close to JR Minami Chitose Station.
Start of operation	Scheduled to start operation in 2026.
Official website	https://chitosedistillery.com/
Tours	Tour
Products	Products

2. Tohoku region (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu)

Miyagi Prefecture

2-1. Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery

It has been about 30 years since Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky and the father of Japanese whiskey, opened the first distillery in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Masataka Taketsuru, who believed that “Whisky becomes richer and richer by blending multiple whiskies produced at different distilleries,” began to search for a new distillery site.

The site, located near the border with Yamagata Prefecture, is a lush green valley blessed with two clear streams ,the Hirose River and theShinkawa River. When Taketsuru first visited the area, he drank a bottle of Black Nikka he had in the clear waters of the Shinkawa River and confirmed the taste. It is said that he decided to build the distillery on the spot.

Location	Sendai, Miyagi 989-3433 1 Nikka, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi
How to get there	<Train From JR Sendai Station to Sakunami Station on the JR Senzan Line (1 train every hour): approx. 40 min. On Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays, a shuttle bus runs from JR Sakunami Station to Miyagikyo Distillery (round trip) *Takes about 7 minutes one way. <Bus From Sendai Station, take a city bus bound for Sakunami Onsen and get off at Nikka Bridge *Trip time: approx. 60 min.
Start of operation	1969
Official HP	Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Open to the public / Guided tours of the distillery are available by reservation only. *Tours of the distillery, which had been temporarily suspended, will resume on July 17, 2020 (Friday) with some restrictions.
Merchandise	Single Malt Miyagikyo

Representative whisky of Miyagikyo distillery

Detailed distillery information

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

Yamagata Prefecture

2-2. Kinryu Yuza Distillery

The highest quality Japanese whiskey that the world longs for, from right here in Yamagata.

Ltd., which operates the Yuza Distillery, was founded in 1950 as a joint venture by nine Japanese sake breweries in Yamagata Prefecture. The company produces neutral spirits called brewing alcohol and Kou-type shochu made with a continuous distillation machine.

Kinryu is Yamagata’s only manufacturer specializing in shochu, but when it considered the declining consumption of shochu and sake, and the population problems in Yamagata Prefecture, it took on the whiskey business as a new venture for the future.

In February 2022, “YUZA First edition 2022” was released. Limited edition of 8,500 bottles.

YUZA First edition 2022″ was created with the strong belief that “YUZA will mature to its full potential” and “YUZA will focus on offering only products that meet the definition of Japanese whiskey”. The time of dawn has finally arrived.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

We then release new products once or twice a year.

Location	999-8302 20 Kakujita, Yoshide, Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata
Access	From JR Niigata Station to JR Yuza Station by train (approx. 2hr 25min) Approximately 25 minutes on foot from JR Yuza Station (5 minutes by car)
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kinryu Yuza Distillery Co.
Tours	No public tours are scheduled for the time being.
Products	YUZA First Edition 2022, YUZA Second Edition 2022, YUZA 2023, and

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Typical whiskies from the Yuza distillery

Detailed distillery information

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

429 Too Many Requests

jpwhisky.net

2-3. TATENOKAWA SHUZO GAKKOGAWA Distillery

Tadenokawa Shuzo Corporation, famous for its sake “Tadenokawa”, has established a whisky business subsidiary (Gekkogawa Distillery Corporation) and will operate Gekkogawa Distillery.

The distillery plans to produce a high quality single malt of classical authenticity with “Shonai-produced whiskey” utilizing the abundant water from the Gekkogawa River system and the delicate technology cultivated in sake brewing.

As for equipment, a stainless steel thermal tank with temperature control is used for the fermentation tank. The pot still is made by Miyake Seisakusho. The first distillation still is characterized by a very narrow distiller.

Distillation is scheduled to begin in September 2023, with single malt production targeted for around 2027.
The daily brewing volume is 400 kg of malt, and the company aims to produce 60,000 liters per year with 250 brewing cycles.

The planned distillery construction site is in Yusa-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture. Yusa Distillery” of Kinryu Co. already exists in Yusa Town, and it seems that they intend to work together to make Yusa Town a whiskey town.

Location	Yuza-machi, Akumi-gun, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	About 30 minutes walk from Yuza Station Station
Start of operation	September 2023
Official HP	Gekkogawa Distillery HP
Visiting the distillery	Tour of Gekkogawa Distillery
Products	Blended Whiskey to be released in 2024, Single Malt in 2027

2-4.Dewa Co.  Dewa Distillery

The distillery is surrounded by a majestic mountain range that belongs to a national park in Yamagata Prefecture, and is surrounded by pristine forests in abundant nature. The magnificent nature circulates water and brings blessings to the surrounding area.

Not much information is available on the distillery as if it is not yet completed, and the building appears to be a reuse of a building that was previously used for another purpose.

As of October 2025, the website has not been updated and is unknown.

Location	40-1, Oaza-Oguni-Osaka-cho, Oguni-cho, Nishi-Oshiki-gun, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	Ookuni-Osakamachi 40
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official HP	Dewa Distillery Official HP
Tour of the distillery	Tour of the distillery
Products	Products

Fukushima Prefecture

2-5. Sasanokawa Sake Brewery, Asaka Distillery

Sasanokawa Brewery, which operates the Asaka Distillery, was founded in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture in 1765 and has been a long-established brewery for about 250 years. It obtained a license to produce whiskey in 1946, soon after the end of World War II, and was producing whiskey until around 1980.

Following the resurgence of the whiskey boom since the 2010s, the company decided to establish a full-scale malt whiskey distillery in 2015 and purchased a still from Miyake Seisakusho that could be delivered within a year. The following year, in 2016, we decided to resume distilling original sake at the Asaka Distillery, which was equipped with a sake cellar.
The oldest craft whiskey in Tohoku, the Asaka Distillery will release its first single malt ” Asaka The First ” in December 2019 after restarting operations.
In 2022, the distillery will install wooden fermenters, and in 2025, it will release its first wooden fermented product.

 

	1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima 963-0108 1-178 Sasagawa, Koriyama-shi, Fukushima
Access by train	＜By train 10 minutes drive from JR Koriyama Station Approx. 10 min. walk from JR Azeki-Nagamori Station
Commencement of operations	2016
Official HP	Sasanokawa Brewery Asaka Distillery Official Twitter
Visiting the distillery	By appointment only
Products	Single Malt Asaka Series

Representative whiskies of Asaka Distillery

Distillery Details

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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2-6. tenkyo Co. Tenkyo Distillery

Bandai” is a famous mountain. Bandai, an active volcano, is a cradle of harsh yet magnificent nature, rich in seasonal changes. Tenkyo Distillery was completed at the foot of the volcano.

The distillery is located near the Bandai Nishiyamaroku Spring Group, which springs from the majestic nature at the foot of Mt. Bandai, and uses Ryugasawa spring water, selected as one of the 100 best waters in Japan, as its brewing water.

The distillery covers a total area of 2,800 square meters, and is equipped with two types of fermentation tanks (wooden and stainless steel) and a distiller that heats and cools the distillate in four different ways.

A limited quantity of blended whiskey, aged in Aizu from the original Scottish spirit (new make), was released.

A limited quantity of blended whisky matured in Aizu from the original Scottish brew was put on sale.

	6841-11, Nakasonehira, Sarashina, Bandai-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima
Access	Location
Start of operation	As of February 2024
Official HP	Tenkagami Distillery
Tour	Tour of Tianjing Distillery
Products

2-7. CTI Ascend Co. Tamano Ascend Distillery

The concept of this distillery is “Whiskey grown from the soil. Distillation takes place at the local abandoned school, the former Tamano Elementary School.
The distillery is a unique and sustainable distillery that came from a different industry, the construction industry, and grows its own corn and rye, the main raw materials, and uses them as ingredients.

The distillery won the New Distillery of the Year award at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition 2025.

Construction Technology Institute, Inc. has been training in whiskey production techniques and experimentally cultivating corn on decontaminated farmland since 2020 in order to contribute to the recovery of the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
　This project involves the cultivation of corn seedlings on decontaminated farmland in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, using sewage sludge as fertilizer, and the production and sale of whiskey made from this corn. The whiskey production is planned to be carried out in an abandoned school building in Soma City.
　By using sewage sludge as fertilizer and whisky pomace as livestock feed and fertilizer, we aim to build a sustainable business based on resource recycling. We also aim to contribute to the reconstruction and revitalization of the region through the implementation of projects utilizing unused land and abandoned school facilities.

Reference: HP of the Construction Technology Institute Co.

Location	976-0154, Japan 74 Aza-machi, Tamano, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
Access	Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture
Start of operation	Currently under preparation
Official HP	Official website
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

Akita Prefecture

2-8. DreamLink Co.  Akita Distillery

There has been no further report since then, and it is possible that the construction schedule has been scrapped.

Restaurant chain DreamLink has announced plans to build a distillery of Akita whiskey in the suburbs of Akita City, with construction scheduled to begin in April 2022 and be completed by the end of the same year, with products to be shipped in 2025, but as of 2024, the status of the project is unknown.
The planned construction site is 38,500 square meters, including private land around the former Iwami Elementary School site, about 30 minutes by car from Akita Station and Akita Airport. How much of this will be used has not yet been determined, and the size of the site and building has not been decided at this time.
The construction cost of the distillery is expected to be around 400 to 500 million yen. Part of the funds will be raised through crowdfunding. The goal is to produce 21,000 liters of whiskey per year. After that, they intend to invest several hundred million yen more in business expenses to build tourist facilities including restaurants and lodging facilities.
The project is supervised by Kenichi Sato, the owner-bartender of BAR Le Veil in Akita City.

Whiskey distillery, DreamLink, in the suburbs of Akita City.

Iwate Prefecture

2-9.Nanbu Bijin Co. NANBUBIJIN DISTILLERY

The brewery, famous for its sake Nanbu Bijin, started production. This is the first craft whiskey distillery in Iwate Prefecture.
Obtained a spirits production license in 2021, and a whiskey production license in 2023.
Nanbu Bijin Craft Gin won a gold medal at the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition 2022. As for whiskey production, it has already started in 2023 and will make a big announcement in 2024.

Iwate’s first whiskey distillation and barrel storage facilities are installed on the same site as the brewery where Nanbu Bijin sake is brewed.
The first distillation unit will be the first copper copper pot still from Yokoyama Engineering of Japan.

The theme of the whiskey is to express the world view of sake in the whiskey and to have the same “beautiful and clean” taste as the same sake.
The distiller also insists on using only Japanese ingredients for storage in the cellar.

Location	Head Office Warehouse] 028-6101 13 Aza Kamimachi, Fukuoka, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture Basenkyo warehouse] 67-30 Uenodaira, Shimotome, Ninohe, Iwate 028-6102 67-30, Uenodaira, Shimotome, Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture
Access
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	https://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/tsumikasane/whisky/
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Products

3. Kanto region (inc. Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures)

Saitama Prefecture

3-1. Venture Whisky Co. Chichibu Distillery

Chichibu Distillery started operation in 2008, and in just a few years has become the world’s leading whiskey maker of ” Ichiro’s Malt “.
Toa Shuzo”, which was run by the father of the founder “Ichiro Hido”, owned the Hanyu distillery and was producing whiskey. When Mr. Hido took over in 2001, the business was in a slump, and it was transferred to “Hinode Trading” in 2003. At that time, the decision was made to withdraw from the whiskey business, and the stored whiskey was in danger of being disposed of. The company scrambled to find a buyer and succeeded in obtaining cooperation from the Sasanogawa Brewery, and was able to move the whisky stored at the Hanyu distillery to a rented storage facility. Later, together with the Sasanokawa Brewery, they began selling whiskey made from the Hanyu distillery’s original sake.
In 2004, Mr. Hido established Venture Whiskey Co., Ltd. and in 2007, completed a whiskey distillery in Chichibu, which is his hometown and a good environment for sake brewing.

Whiskey Festival 2019 Exhibit. We were able to sample some of the products from the previous releases. There was always a line at the booth, showing the popularity of Ichiro’s Malt.

Location	Chichibu, Saitama 368-0067 49 Midorigaoka, Chichibu-shi, Saitama
Access from Chichibu	＜By train 15 minutes by cab from Chichibu Railway Minano Station. 20 minutes by cab from Seibu-Chichibu Station on the Seibu Line. <Car Take the Kanetsu Expressway Hanazono Interchange toward Chichibu. Go straight on the Minano Yorii Toll Road. Pass through the toll booth and take the second exit. Go straight at the intersection Otsuka and turn right at the next intersection Check the sign for Midorigaoka Industrial Park and proceed.
Start of operation	2007 (the first year of operation)
Official HP	Chichibu Distillery Facebook page
Tours	For professionals only. No public tours.
Products	Ichiro’s Malt Quercus Wood Reserve Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries Ichiro’s Malt & Grain…etc.

Typical whiskies of Chichibu Distillery .

Detailed information about the distillery

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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2-2.Venture Whisky Chichibu No.2 Distillery

In 2018, the Chichibu 2nd distillery operated at a location about 400 meters away from the Chichibu distillery.
At the second distillery, the fermentation tanks were changed from Quercus crispula to French oak. In addition, the pot still was changed from indirect heating by steam to direct heating by gas.
The distillery’s production volume is about five times that of the first distillery, 160 liters of alcohol equivalent per day, while the second distillery produces 800 liters of alcohol equivalent per day.
Ichiro’s malt is currently difficult to obtain, but with the start of operations at the second distillery, the production volume is expected to increase significantly and the distribution volume of products will also increase.

Distillery Details

If you would like to know more about the distillery, please click here.

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3-3. Toa Shuzo Hanyu Distillery

Toa Shuzo had suspended whiskey production in 2000 due to the sluggish whiskey market. Although the company once shut down operations due to poor business performance, it decided to rebuild its whiskey business, as its mainstay sake has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad over the past few years and its business foundation has gradually stabilized.
The company decided to rebuild its whisky business, and since it still had hand-drawn drawings of the pot stills from those days, it asked the same production company to manufacture them as before. With various conditions in place, the Hanyu distillery was reopened in February 2021 for the first time in about 20 years, and in-house distillation was carried out.

They have already released a single malt and started selling it under the name of Hanyu Genesis.

Location	4-1-11 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama 348-0054 4-1-11 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama
Access from the nearest station	Access from the nearest station Tobu Isezaki Line “Hanyu Station 5 minutes on foot from “Hanyu Station” of Chichibu Railway Access from the nearest IC 15 minutes by car from “Hanyu IC” of Tohoku Expressway
Start of operation	1946 – October 2004 (operation until 2000) Resume operation from February 2021
Official HP	Toa Brewery Co.
Tours	Yes
Product	Golden Horse Bushu Golden Horse Musashi Whiskey Kabuki Hanyu Genesis

Hanyu Distillery’s representative whiskey .

3-4. Hikari Shuzo Konosu Distillery

The distillery will start operation in 2020. Konosu distillery is located one hour from Tokyo station without transferring trains, making it the most accessible distillery from the city center.
The building has a Scottish style and has a different atmosphere from other distilleries in Japan.
The mash tun (saccharification tank) and pot still (distillation machine) are made in Scotland by Forsyth. The pot stills are two units with a lantern head type 5,500 L for the first distillation and a bulge type 3,600 L for the second distillation, characterized by their straight, low necks and downward pointing line arms. There are six washbacks (fermenters) in total, all made of stainless steel and fermented for four to five days.
Currently, English malt is used. Both non-peated and peated malts are used in the brewing process. The malt is milled at a ratio of 2:7:1 (husk:grits:flour). They hope to use barley from Konoha in the near future.
The company has one aging cellar, which is mainly a dunnage-type, bourbon-barrel aging facility.
They are taking their time in production with the goal of sales after 2025.
They are also experimenting with experimental elements such as rice whiskey, grain made from rye and wheat, malt smoked with manuka wood, and aging in a jar for shochu.

They have stated that more than 90% of their whisky is for export, so there will likely be few opportunities to drink it in Japan.

Location	369-0133 625 Kotani, Konosu-shi, Saitama
Access	20 minutes walk from JR Kitano-Konosu Station
Start of operation	2020
Official HP	Hikari Sake Brewing Company Official Facebook The website is currently under construction.
Tours	Not available at this time. Scheduled to begin around 2025. Tasting, sales, and a café will be set up.
Merchandise	Products

Ibaraki Prefecture

3-5. Kiuchi Sake Brewery Nukuda Brewery/Yasato Distillery

Founded in 1823 in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kiuchi Shuzo produces sake, Kikumori, as well as shochu, wine, liqueurs, and craft beer, Hitachi-no Nest Beer.

In 2016, the company began producing a whiskey unique to Hitachino by utilizing Kaneko Golden, a fantastic Japanese beer wheat that was revived in the process of making Hitachino Nest Beer. After maturation, it was first offered at directly managed stores, and in April 2019, it was commercialized as a highball in a can.

Then, to further pursue Japanese whiskey making, we built the Yatsugo Distillery at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba and started operation in 2020.

Location	315-0151, Ishioka, Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture 1300-8 Sugama, Ishioka-shi, Ibaraki
Access from Ishioka City	＜By train 35 minutes by cab from Ishioka Station on the JR Joban Line <Car Approximately 20 minutes from the Tsuchiura Kita IC of Joban Expressway via Fruit Line. From Joban Expressway “Chiyoda Ishioka IC”, approx. 20 min. via Fruit Line Approx. 20 minutes from Joban Expressway “Ishioka-Omigama Smart IC” via Fruit Line
Start of operation	2020 Yago Distillery (Nukada Brewery will start distilling in 2016)
Official HP	Kiuchi Brewery, Yago Distillery
Tour	Tour of Kiuchi Brewery
Products	Products

Typical craft beer from Ysato Distillery

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Typical Whiskey from Ysato Distillery.

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3-6.Meiri Shurui Co. TAKAZO Distillery

Meiri Sakarui Co., Ltd. a general liquor manufacturer, obtained a license to produce whiskey on September 26, 2022.
The distillery started whiskey production in 1952, but returned the license about 60 years ago due to a fire at the factory. Since then, the company has given up whisky production.

As for single malt, we plan to organize experiences and tasting events at the distillery so that customers can enjoy the process of growing up as Japanese whiskey with us, from 0 months, 6 months, 1 year, 1.5 years, 2 years, and 3 years.

Copper is incorporated inside the distillation machine to remove sulfides and clear the finish, and mash tuns are installed that have been assembled and tested for production overseas.
The mash tun has been assembled and tested overseas. The current plan is to use American white oak bourbon barrels and sherry barrels for aging. In the future, the company plans to increase the variety of barrels to produce various types of sake.

Production will begin at the end of September, with malt whiskey made from barley malt and grain whiskey made from rice, taking advantage of the brewery’s strengths.

First, the company plans to release NewPot, a single malt, and to produce and sell blended whiskey blended with Scottish malt whiskey.

Location	338 Motoyoshidamachi, Mito, Ibaraki 310-0836, Japan 338 Motoyoshidamachi, Mito-city, Ibaraki, Japan
Access	By car: 15 minutes from Mito Minami IC on Kita-Kanto Expressway
Start of operation	September 2022
Official HP	Official website of Meiri Sake Brewery Co.
Tour	Tour
Products	Premium Craft Gin “Wa GIN

Representative products of Meiri Brewery

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Tochigi Prefecture

3-7. Nishibori Sake Brewery Co. Nikko Kaido Oyama Distillery

The brewery has a long history and was founded in 1872.
The company’s policy is to “incorporate the brewing techniques of national and Japanese sake” in keeping with its roots, which are its greatest appeal as a sake manufacturer.
In the fermentation process of distilled spirits, we use pure domestic sake yeast, and we also use a special brewing process that incorporates ideas from sake brewing.
The use of sake yeast also changes the sulfur and off-flavor, so the pot still is also specially designed.
This is an original distillation still modified by applying copper plates to the inside of a Japanese-made stainless steel distillation still.
Because it is stainless steel, it can be used for both atmospheric distillation and decompression distillation, and both direct and indirect steam heating can be used together, so there are many options for distilling different types of sake.

The grains used for distillation are rice flour, which is produced when sake rice is polished.

Single malt whiskey fermented and distilled from 100% malt at our own distillery
(2) Single grain whiskey fermented and distilled with malt and rice flour at our distillery
Domestic spirits (craft vodka, craft gin) fermented and distilled with sake yeast
These three types of spirits are currently being produced.

The company has already released its first new product, Tetsu, the first Japanese whiskey from Tochigi Prefecture.

Location	1452 Oaza-Awamiya, Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture
Access	Approx. 50 minutes from JR Tokyo Station to JR Oyama Station by Shinkansen bullet train
Start of operation	2022
Official HP	Nikko Kaido Oyama Distillery Official HP
Visiting the distillery	Reservations can be made at the official HP Reservations must be made at least 7 days in advance for a 1-hour course from 14:00-15:00.
Merchandise	Yume Nikko Vodka

Typical product of Nishibori Brewery

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3-8. Yasui Shoten Co. Stork valley Distillery

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Yasui Shoten, a liquor wholesaler in Ibaraki Prefecture, opened a whiskey distillery inside group company Nozaki, a liquor wholesaler.
Distilling will begin in the summer of 2023.
STORK VALLEY” stork, which is the name of the distillery, means stork and is a symbol of nature in Oyama City, and is named after the storks that have successfully bred in the artificial nest tower in the Watarase Yusuichi.
The brewery does not use imported sake, but only its own sake, and it also makes use of its own craft beer brewing know-how in the formulation of yeast and malt.
The barrels used are made of cedar, cypress, and mizunara oak grown in Nikko.
The company aims to sell about 12,000 bottles a year, and is considering using Mashiko-yaki, a specialty of Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture, for the bottles.
In addition, the company obtained a license in January to produce whiskey, spirits, and liqueurs, and is also working on craft gin brewing.
It is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2023, using prefectural products such as yuzu from Motegi Town, Kunimi oranges from Nasu Karasuyama City, sansho and wasabi from Nikko City, mulberries from Oyama City, and blueberries from Nasu Town.

Location	P.O. Box 323-0034 4-1-53 Kamitoriya, Oyama-shi, Tochigi
How to get there	From Oyama Station, take the bus bound for Mamada Station West Exit. Get off at Oyama Daisan Elementary School North
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	Stork Valley Distillery, a distillery in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture (stork-valley-distillery.com)
Visiting	Undecided
Product lineup	Undecided

Chiba Prefecture

3-9. Sudo Honke

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This traditional brewery has been in business since 1885.
It is famous for its “Amanohara,” brewed with Kururi’s famous water, the only water selected from Chiba Prefecture in the “100 Best Waters of the Heisei Era.
In 2018, it became the first brewery in Chiba Prefecture to obtain a license to produce whiskey.
Only one bottle of “Boso Whiskey” has been released.
According to the official comment, “It is a blend of our own malt and British Scotch secured through our own channels, resulting in a less smoky and more gorgeous sweet aromatic flavor that the Japanese like.” The official comment is that it is “a blend of our own malt and English scotch secured through our own channels.
Since the order of the ingredients is grain and malt, it is assumed that the grain is highly weighted and the main ingredient is English malt base alcohol.
The product was crowdfunded in an unusual way: it was packaged and sold in 4L, 8L, and 50L American oak casks.
Incidentally, only the 50L casks were sold at cask strength of 65% alcohol by volume.
What looks like a distiller was shown in the images on the site, but the actual equipment is not very clear.

Location	16-10 Aoyanagi, Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture
Access	15 minutes walk from Kururi Station on JR Kururi Line
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Sudoh Honke Official HP
Tour	Tour
Merchandise	Boso Whisky

Representative products of Sudoh Honke

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3-10. mitosaya herb garden distillery

Image source: Official Instagram

Hiroshi Eguchi, former owner of the bookshop Utrecht, founded mitosaya in 2016 after studying under Christoph Keller of the Steelemühle distillery, master distiller of Monkey 47, which once revolutionized gin, in 2013.
The former town-owned medicinal herb garden has been renovated and repurposed as a guesthouse, event space, etc., with an office building and training building renovated.
The site covers an area of approximately 5,000 tsubo.
It is managed by a group of eight creators, including Shigeharu Asagiri, head of COEDO Brewery, and Yasutsugu Ishiwata, producer of Blue Bottle Coffee.
On weekends, it runs an unmanned fruit stand where fruits grown by neighborhood residents are sold, as well as new products.
Since its first release in 2019, the company has worked on more than 100 different spirits.
They farmed the land from scratch, rolled the seeds, harvested the malt, dried it, and ground it with a millstone, and tried substituting peat with seaweed, which is also a member of the iodine family.
Only 4 liters of sake was produced, and six bottles of 500ml and 10 bottles of 100ml, for a total of 16 bottles, were sold out immediately.

Location	P.O. Box 298-0216 486, Otaki, Otaki Town, Isumi District, Chiba Prefecture
Access	20 minutes on foot from Otaki Station on the Isumi Railway
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	mitosaya herb garden distillery
Tours	openday” is held every spring and fall Unattended sales “HONOR STAND” is held on weekends Detailed dates and times will be announced on SNS, etc.
Merchandise	Each release has its own theme and concept. No regular products

Kanagawa Prefecture

3-11. Kumazawa Brewery Shonan Distillery

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The company has been making sake since 1872.
Currently the only sake brewery in Shonan.
The company’s corporate culture is “Yobarai makes Japan richer.” In addition to sake, the company also produces craft beer, organizes numerous events, and runs an interior design store and gallery.
In 2018, they started producing gin using a hybrid stainless steel distiller from Yokoyama Engineering, which can be used for both direct and indirect distillation as well as column head type decompression distillation and atmospheric distillation.
The cooling pipes can be fitted with copper plates, and the specifications can be changed between distilling gin and whiskey.
The craft gin Hakutengu-Lemongrass is released.
The company obtained a whiskey production license in 2020 and began production in 2009.
The barrels are oak barrels that used to contain the company’s own Kijo sake.
In the future, the company plans to use the barrels in a cyclical manner, from kijoshu, to whiskey, to beer, to whiskey.
Mr. Tetsuro Igarashi, a company owner of Kumazawa Shuzo, appeared as a guest on “Distillery Class,” a radio show on the theme of “distilling” run by distiller Hiroshi Eguchi on the “Podcast” content radio show on “Spotify,” and commented that the name of the whiskey he plans to release in the future is “Aka Tengu,” although the release date is still unknown. The name of the whiskey will be “Aka Tengu” (Red Tengu), although the release date is still unknown.
The 180 ml version of “whisky Aka Tengu,” which will be released as a limited sample of 100 bottles on December 1, 2023, sold out immediately.
This whisky Aka Tengu is a distillation of the Shonan beer using the highest quality malt, which will be the signature product in 2020.
It is bourbon barrel aged, but a twist has been added here as well: it is an original bourbon barrel aged with its own strengths fully utilized, made by having its own product, Shonan Beer “Imperial Stout”, put into it for one year.
The 180ml version will be 54% cask strength without addition of water.
We can’t wait for this release.
As a side note, there is an air-raid shelter on the property.

Location	7-10-7 Kagawa, Chigasaki, Kanagawa 253-0082, Japan
Access	10 minutes walk from JR Kagawa Station
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kumazawa Sake Brewery official website
Tours	Tours are available for restaurant patrons Official site
Products	Products

Typical products of Kumazawa Brewery

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Gunma Prefecture

3-12. LINK Co. Kitakaruizawa Distillery

Image source: Official Instagram

Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, the current owner-bartender of Bar LAG in Ginza, established LINK Co. in February 2022.
He will manufacture whiskey in parallel with his bar business.
Construction of the Kitakaruizawa distillery started in July of the same year.
Construction was completed in March 2023, a whiskey production license was obtained in May of the same year, and test production began in July.
The distillery is located 1,100 meters above the Amrut distillery (920 meters above sea level), which is known as “whiskey in the sky.
The distillery aims to create a unique flavor by taking advantage of the lower boiling point when distilling at a higher altitude. (Decompression distillation is equivalent to this).
The pot still is custom-made by Hwang Ho Company in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, which was involved in the design, manufacturing, and adjustment of the still.
The body is a composite of stainless steel and copper, and the head is made of copper using the traditional Japanese “hera-shibori” stretching process, in which the craftsman’s skills shine through.
A single machine can also serve as both the initial distillation and redistillation.
The brewing water is groundwater from the foot of Mt.
The malt is redistilled from 1,500 liters of wort from 300 kg of distiller’s malt from Crisp Malt of England, three times the initial distillation.
One brewing per week is expected to yield approximately 20,000 liters per year.
The storage method is paratizing using pallets.
This storage method is a paratizing method, in which barrels are usually placed vertically, but since there is a high risk of leakage, the barrels are stored horizontally, a twist has been added.
The distillery is currently located at the highest altitude and has the smallest and original distiller in Japan, so there is no shortage of topics.
The owner’s casks are also being offered at the store.

WHISKY ONEYEAR” to be launched in 2024

Location	P.O. Box 377-1412 1991-127, Kitakaruizawa, Naganohara-cho, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma
Access	Approximately 40 minutes by car from JR Karuizawa Station
Start of operation	2023
Official HP	Kita Karuizawa Distillery
Visiting	Undecided (will be open for tours as soon as it is ready)
Merchandise	Currently, NEWPOT and other products are available for sale from the official website.

3-13. makino sake brewery kurabuchi distillery

This long-established distillery, which was established in 1690 and produces Haruna’s local sake, “Taibai,” produces whiskey in its own distillation facility. The distillery has been producing rice shochu (rice liquor) for some time, and from the video, it appears that the distillation equipment is the same as that used for shochu production.

The company has already released a new single malt, Kurabuchi, in December 2023, and says that it will continue to age the whiskey and “promote it as a ‘local whiskey’ made by a regional brewery.

Not being bound by the definition of Japanese whiskey, the company will also sell whiskey blended with single malt whiskey and its own sake lees spirits.

Location	2625-1 Gonda, Kurafuchi-cho, Takasaki, Gunma 370-3401
Access	Approximately 60 minutes from Takasaki IC on Kan-etsu Expressway About 60 minutes from Maebashi IC on Kan-etsu Expressway (Google Maps shows the route) Approximately 40 minutes from Matsuida Myogi IC on Joshinetsu Expressway By public transportation Approximately 30 minutes by cab from Annaka Haruna Station on the Nagano Shinkansen Line.
Start of operation	December 2023
Official HP	Makino Sake Brewery Co.
Tour of the brewery	Tour of Makino Brewery
Products	New Make Kurabuchi

5. Kansai Region(inc. Osaka,Kyoto,Shiga,Hyogo and Wakayama prefecture)

Osaka Prefecture

5-1. Suntory Spirits Yamazaki Distillery

Suntory’s founder, Shinjiro Torii, had a passionate desire to “create a Japanese whiskey that would suit the delicate Japanese palate” and decided to create whiskey.

When the Yamazaki distillery was built, Suntory invited Masataka Taketsuru, who had studied whisky production in Scotland, the home of Scotch whisky, and appointed him as the director of the Yamazaki distillery.
Yamazaki is located southwest of Kyoto, at the foot of Mt. Yamazaki was chosen from among a number of candidate sites because of its “high quality water” and “natural environment,” both of which are important in whiskey production.

Yamazaki distillery at the time of operation
Image Source: Single Malt Whisky Yamazaki, Suntory

In the distillery room of the Yamazaki distillery, distillation kettles of different sizes and shapes are lined up facing each other.
Distilleries with such a variety of distillation kettles are rare in the world. The distillation kettles of different sizes and shapes produce different types of sake, ranging from light to heavy flavors.

Location	2-2-1, Yamazaki 5-chome, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka 618-0001, Japan 5-2-1 Yamazaki, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka, Japan
Access	JR West Japan Tokaido Main Line (Kyoto Line) Yamazaki station 7 minutes by walking 10 minutes walk from Oyamazaki Station, Hankyu Railway Kyoto Main Line
Commencement of operation	1923
Official HP	Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
Visiting the distillery	Tours are available; reservations required through the website. Tours are currently suspended. (December 28, 2020)
Products	Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 12years, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 18 years, Single Malt Whiskey Yamazaki 25 years

Representative whiskies of Yamazaki distillery

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Distillery Details

To learn more about the distillery, click here↓.

山崎蒸溜所（サントリーホールディングス）｜蒸留所詳細情報

山崎蒸留所の基本スペックや歴代マスターブレンダーまでの基本情報を網羅

jpwhisky.net

5-2.Mikuni Distillery

Mikuni Corporation, an import/export business, was established in 2018.
The distillery produces craft gin and whiskey in Tamatsukuri, Osaka City.
It is within the city so it seems easy to visit, but reservations are required for tours.
You can see a hybrid still, but it seems to be a fairly small production.
The official website in English only states that the distillery is located at the foot of Mt.
Like the official site, the whisky is made with an awareness of overseas markets, and this site will keep a close eye on how the product will be released in Japan.

Location of the company	1-16-24, Higashi-Kobashi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka 537-0024, Japan
Access	5 minutes walk from Tamatsukuri Station on JR and Osaka Metro lines
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	http://www.mikuniwhisky.com/( English only)
Visiting	Permitted *Reservations required
Products	The Mikuni Blended Japanese Whisky

5-3. Han Kurayashiki Kitashinchi CO-LABO

Just established in May 2023 as a microbrewery.
As an experimental workshop and sales store, it will take on the genre-less challenge of producing, selling, and enjoying sake in ways that are not bound by conventional concepts, based on the concept of “creating sake that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The company’s original brand “Sente Narian” will be trademarked on July 7, 2022.
The company plans to release whiskey and liqueurs bearing the name of the product of the same name.
The first product to be released will be a craft whiskey, and the company is currently recruiting cask owners on its official website.
The opening of the store is currently undecided.

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Location	Beerding Kitashinchi 1F, 1-4-2 Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-003, Japan
Access	5 minutes walk from Kitashinchi Station on JR Tozai Line
Start of operation
Official HP	Han Kurashiki Kitashinchi CO-LABO
Tour	Undecided
Merchandise	Sente Seian

Hyogo prefecture

5-4. Kizakura K.K. Kizakura Tamba Distillery

Image source : Yellow Cherry Blossom Co.

Founded in 1925, Kizakura Corporation, known for its sake “Kizakura” and “Dry sake Ikken,” established a whiskey distillery in Tamba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture, at an altitude of about 300 meters, surrounded by clean air and forests, with annual temperatures exceeding 30°C and humidity so high that fog is a common occurrence. The Tamba factory, built in 1974, has been producing authentic shochu using stainless steel distillers since 2004, and began producing whiskey using those stainless steel distillers in 2018.

Aiming at further authentic whiskey production, two copper distillers (first distillation: straight type) (redistillation: bulge type) made by Forsyth were introduced in October 2021. One mash tun is made by Miyake Seisakusho, and two wash backs are made by enamel. Fushimi water is used for brewing water.

Current brewing is 1.5 tons of one-patch malt. Both non-peated and peated malts are used.

Up to saccharification is done at the craft brewery in Fushimi, and the 8,000 liters of wort from a single saccharification are transported by car to the Tamba Distillery, about an hour and a half away, for fermentation and maturation. The aging warehouse is located at the highest point in the Tamba Distillery and has been converted into a maturing warehouse. A wide variety of malt liquors are grown in the dunnage-type aging house, including bourbon casks, new oak casks, and sherry casks.

In the future, the company aims to introduce barrels made from Mizunara oak and other domestic timber, and to achieve an annual production volume of 30,000 liters.

Image source :JWIC

Location	1-19 Honjo-Dogaya, Imada-cho, Tamba-Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture
Access	Approximately 20 minutes by car from Sanda Nishi IC
Start of operation	2018
Official HP	Kizakura Whiskey Tamba Official HP
Visiting	Not available
Products

Representative whisky of Tamba Distillery

5-5. Eigashima Brewery Eigashima Distillery

Eigashima Shuzo, which produces the small 500ml bottle of local whiskey ” Akashi,” was founded in 1888 as a sake distillery.
Its history of whiskey production is surprisingly long, and it obtained a license to produce whiskey in 1919.

Image source: Eigashima Brewery – Wikipedia

The installation of pot stills and other equipment for full-scale whiskey production was completed in 1984. Since then, the company has sold lower-priced whiskey, but has recently released a number of new higher-priced products, including “Akashi” Single Malt 8 Years and ” Single Malt Eigashima Sherry Cask “.

Image source: Eigashima Brewery online store

Location	674-0065, Akashi, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture 919 Nishijima, Okubo-cho, Akashi-shi, Hyogo
Access	Nearest Station: Nishieigashima Station, Sanyo Railway
Start of operation	1919 (Licensed to manufacture whiskey) It is unknown if distilling had started.
Official HP	Eigashima Brewery Co.
Tours	Tours are available. Reservations required by phone or email. Tours are currently temporarily suspended. (December 28, 2020)
Merchandise	White Oak Single Malt Akashi, White Oak Ground Whiskey Akashi, White Oak Akashi Red

Eigashima Brewery’s representative whiskey

5-6. Akashi Shuzo Brewery Co. Kaikyo Distillery

Akashi Sake Brewery was founded in 1860. The company began by producing shochu (distilled spirit), and later acquired liquor licenses to produce sake, mirin (sweet cooking sake), liqueur, synthetic sake, and other brewed liquors.

The company obtained a license to produce whiskey in 2017. The company has two pot stills (distillers), both made by Forsyth in Scotland. The mash tun (saccharification tank) is also made by Forsyth.
Distillation was scheduled to begin in 2020, but has been delayed due to the new coronavirus.
The current product lineup is “Hamonzaki” whiskey, which is probably bottled using overseas original whiskey and sold to overseas customers. It is not distributed domestically at this time.

The company plans to start selling its craft gin, 135°E Hyogo Dry Gin, in the fall of 2021.

Location	1-3 Okurahachiman-cho, Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture 673-0871 1-3 Ohkurahachiman-cho, Akashi-shi, Hyogo
Access	10 minutes walk from Asagiri Station on JR Kobe Line
Start of operation	2017
Official HP	Kaikyo Distillery
Tour	Tour
Products	Hamonzaki Pure Malt Whisky and Blended Whisky, both not sold in Japan

5-7. Gloucesters Kobe Distillery Co.

Gloucesters Co., Ltd. was established in 2015. It is a general trading company whose main business is trade agency services, such as acting as an agent for import/export procedures.

The Kobe Distillery will start operation on October 14, 2022. Surrounded by mountains, the land is suitable for whisky maturation due to its natural environment with large temperature differences throughout the year and high humidity.

The distillery is equipped with a pot still exclusively for whiskey and a distiller exclusively for brandy.

Bourbon and sherry casks will be used for aging, as well as Japanese oak and cherry casks.

The distiller used for the brandy shown in the left image is an imported direct-fired “Alambic Charentes” (single distiller) made in France, which was once used for high-end brandy and stopped production 27 years ago.

(Image exhibit: Kobe Distillery official HP)

Location	2150 Kami-Osawa, Osawa-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1522 Roadside Station Kobe Fruit and Flower Park Osawa, 2150 Kami-Osawa, Osawa-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo
Access	15 minutes by bus or cab from Okaba Station on the Kobe Electric Railway Line Approx. 15 min. by cab from JR Sanda Station By car: Exit at Osawa IC of Rokko-kita Toll Road.
Start of operation	October 14, 2022
Official HP	Kobe Distillery Official Website
Tours	Tour of Kobe Distillery
Merchandise	Lake Biwa Wisheshi Memorial Cruise Limited Edition NEWBORN, KOBE GIN YAMA/KOBE GIN UMI

5-8. With One Corporation Yabu Distillery

Began operation in July 2023. Reads as Yabu.
According to a theory, it is also the origin of the word “Yabu-doctor.
Construction will begin in 2022. The site area is approximately 8,000 square meters and includes a distillation building and two storage buildings, with the storage building holding approximately 2,400 barrels in a dunnage system.
The distillery will be the first of its kind in Japan, with most of the equipment, including pot stills, being supplied by Frilli of Italy.

The plant will produce approximately 65,000 liters in the first year and 130,000 liters in the second year.
The company plans to release 700 milliliters around 2026, at an estimated price of 8,000 yen to 10,000 yen.
Two people are involved in supervising production: Kenji Hosoi, former director of Nikka Whisky’s Technical Development Center, and Kenji Hosoi, former visiting researcher at the Geisenheim Wine Institute in Germany before becoming director of the St. Neige Wine Research Institute, and then deputy general manager of the Asahi Beer Board of Directors, deputy general manager in charge of the Liquor Division and director of the Wine Business Department, and director of Food R&D. He has also served as Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of Asahi Breweries, Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of the Liquor Division and Director of the Wine Business Department, and Deputy General Manager of the Board of Directors of the Food Research and Development Division.
The whiskey production process features Idemitsu Kosan’s patented filtration method using metal-supported zeolite.
In addition to yeast and lactic acid bacteria, a third microorganism is used in the wooden fermentation tanks to change the flavor and create a new whiskey.

Location	844-1, Nakanaka, Oya-cho, Yabu-shi, Hyogo 667-0325
Access	25 minutes by car from the Yabu IC of the Kita-Kinki Toyooka Expressway. Take JR KOUNOTORI and get off at “Yoka” station, then take a bus for about 1.5 hours
Start of operation	July 2023
Official HP	Yabu Distillery
Visiting	Possible (currently not available)
Merchandise	Scheduled to be released in 2026

5-9. Axus Holdings Corporation Rokkosan Distillery

AXUS H OLDINGS CORPORATION (Tokushima) operates “Hour Liquor” liquor specialty stores and “Charlie” drugstores, and imports and exports alcoholic beverages and other food products. Rokko, a landmark of Kobe with its beautiful night views and abundant nature including famous water, will become a center of new culture centered on whiskey by appealing to people who love to drink and are sensitive to information in Japan and around the world through the production, aging, tours, tasting and sales of whiskey and spirits at Mt. The purpose of this project is to become a new culture center centered on whisky.

The initial plan was for operations to begin in November 2020, but this was postponed to late March 2021. The project was delayed until late March 2021, and operations began on July 1, 2021. The site area is 1,160.73 m2. The project started as part of Kobe City’s “Lively Creation Project” utilizing idle facilities on Mt. Rokko with the aim of revitalizing Mt. Rokko, one of the most important issues in tourism promotion.

For the time being, the company plans to produce only whiskey, using German-made pot stills. The distilled whiskey has already been aged in casks, and the intention is to sell it as “Japanese whiskey” that has been aged for three years or more. The company intends to expand overseas by developing overseas markets in cooperation with domestic and overseas suppliers.

The current product lineup includes “Rokkosan Pure Malt Whiskey 12 Years” and “Rokkosan Pure Malt Whiskey 12 Years Peated.
The pure malt whisky is made by adjusting the addition of natural Mt. Rokko water to the original Scottish malt whisky. Available at Motomachi WHISKY in Kobe City.

Location	〒657-0101 1034-229 Minami-Rokko, Rokkosan-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
Access	15 minutes walk from Rokko Sanjo Station on the Rokko Cable
Start of operation	July 1, 2021
Official HP	Official Instagram of Rokkosan Distillery
Tours	Tours, tasting rooms and stores will open from August
Products	Rokkosan Pure Malt Whisky 12years, Rokkosan Pure Malt Whisky 12years Peated

Rokkosan Distillery’s representative whiskies

5-10. Nishiyama Sake Brewery Co. Nishiyama Sake Brewery Co.

The Tamba sake brewery, which has been in existence for generations, was also used as a cultural salon where many writers and painters, including the haiku poet Kyoshi Takahama, gathered. Today, three of the Nishiyama Sake Brewery’s buildings are registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
A haiku poet who was a member of the salon promoted the sake Kozutsumi extensively in haiku magazines, and the brewery became a destination for writers and artists.

The temperature here varies greatly between day and night, with a temperature difference of nearly 10°C even in summer. In addition, “Tamba fog” is expected to occur from fall to winter, bringing moisture to a season that tends to be dry, and thus allowing the characteristic maturation of the sake to take place.

The water source used is “Chinju-tensen,” a well on the premises, which is ultra-soft water consisting of subsoil water from the Takeda River that runs right next to the brewery, the same water source used for Kozutsumi.

The distiller, Yuzo Nishiyama, the fifth generation of the Nishiyama Sake Brewery, was impressed by Italian grappa and introduced an Italian-made distillation machine. The company produces brandy, gin, and whiskey under the name Monte Oeste. The whiskey is mainly made from bourbon barrels. They also own French oak, although it is used for brandy.
Their black bean shochu “Kurotamba” won a gold medal at the TWSC. As for whiskey, as of 2024, a limited edition of 100 bottles of 7-month aged Newborn is on sale.

Location	1171 Nakatakeda, Ichijima-cho, Tamba, Hyogo 669-4302, Japan
Access	JR Fukuchiyama Line “Tamba Taketa” Station, 10 minutes walk from Tamba Taketa Station
Commencement of operation	1849, Whisky in 2023
Official HP	kotsuzumi.co.jp
Tours	Sake Comparison,Pairing Only
Merchandise	Sake Kotsuzumi, Monte Oeste, Kurotamba

Shiga Prefecture

5-11. Nagahama Roman Beer Nagahama Distillery

Japan’s smallest Nagahama distillery is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture.
In 1996, Nagahama Romantic Beer became the third craft brew ery in the Kinki region to start producing craft beer, and after 20 years of craft beer production, in 2016, Nagahama Distillery began operating on the premises and started distilling whiskey.

Inspired by Scottish craft distilleries, the brewery features a rich, fruity, grain-derived, richly sweet, undiluted brew that flows from an arambic-shaped pot still and ultra-thin line arms.

Image Source: Nagahama Romantic Beer Nagahama Distillery

In 2020, Amahagan, a blend of malts from Nagahama Distillery with malt whisky from overseas, won three out of four bottles in the regular series at the World Whisky Awards (WWA).

Location	Nagahama, Shiga 526-0056 14-1 Asahi-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga
Access from JR Nagahama Station	4 minutes walk from JR Nagahama Station About 4 km from Nagahama I.C.
Start of operation	2016
Official HP	Nagahama Roman Beer Nagahama Distillery
Tours are available.	Tours are available, reservations required through the website.
Products	Amahagan, Single Malt Nagahama

Representative whisky of Nagahama Distillery

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5-12. Kawashima Shuzo Lake Biwa Distillery

Founded in 1865.
This long-established brewery is located on the shores of Lake Biwa, in the town of Harie, where “Harie-no-shozu” (fresh water from Harie) flows and was selected as one of the 100 best waters of the Heisei era (100 best waters of the Heisei era).
The brewery is known for its Nishi-Omi local sake “Matsunohana” and daiginjo “Fujiki,” etc. The brewery’s style of sake making is based on the ancient tradition of cold brewing, and is faithful to the basics without any eccentricities. They respect the history and traditions of the past.
These have been awarded the Monde Selection Gold Prize in 2002.
Their sake is exported to 15 countries around the world.
In order to expand its share in the world, the company will obtain a whiskey production license in 2020.
For starters, the company has purchased original sake from Scotland and begun flavoring it in casks.
As of 2023, the distillery has expanded its facilities, conducted a series of test distillations, and began full-scale distillation in July 2023.
Sake is made from November to February, and whiskey from March to October.
The first branded product as Biwako Distillery is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2023.
The whiskey to be released in the fall will be purchased in Scotland and matured for two years in oak, cherry, and chestnut (chestnut) casks.

Location	83 Asahi, Shin-Asahi-cho, Takashima-shi, Shiga 520-1501
Access	8 minutes walk from Shin-Asahi Station
Start of operation	Start of operation
Official website	Kawashima Sake Brewery Co.
Visiting the brewery	Undecided (brewery tours are available)
Product	Scheduled for the fall of 2023

Kyoto Prefecture

5-13. Kyoto Sake Brewery Kyoto Miyako Distillery

Kyoto Shuzo Corporation was established on August 16, 2019. The whiskey production license will be granted on July 6, 2020. There are a total of three pot stills: two 5,000L and one 1,000L.
On March 19, 2021, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Red Belt (blended whiskey), Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Black Belt (blend of bourbon and malt whiskey), and Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin-ori Purple Belt (blended malt) will be available.
The official announcement states that “Kyoto Whiskey is only sold in Kyoto Prefecture,” but this probably refers to in-store sales, and since it is sold on the mail-order site, it seems that people outside of Kyoto Prefecture can also purchase it.

The Kyoto Miyako distillery was temporarily the subject of controversy when a job posting for opening staff listed the “Kurayoshi Distillery” in Tottori as the location for post-hiring training, and thus the distillery was affiliated with Matsui Shuzo Gomei Kaisha? This led to a controversy for a while, but the truth remains unknown at this point.

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Location	P.O. Box 629-1131 11 Minami-Bayashi, Sakahara, Kyotanbamachi, Funai-gun, Kyoto, Japan
Access	Nearest station: 10 minutes on foot from Wachi Station on the JR Sanin Line
Start of operation	July 6, 2020 (for closed to the public, the date of obtaining the whiskey production license is stated)
Official HP	Kyoto Shuzo Brewery Co.
Tours	Tour
Products	Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Red Belt, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Black Belt, Kyoto Whiskey Nishijin Ori Purple Belt

Representative whiskies of Kyoto Miyako Distillery .

Wakayama Prefecture

5-14. Kishu Kumano Distillery, Plum Foods Co.

Founded in 1969 as a drinking water manufacturer, the distillery was established on its 50th anniversary.
The company will develop its whiskey business toward its 100th anniversary in 2069.
From the photos on the official website, it is believed that two distillers of the hybrid type are being used, one from ABE distillers in the U.S. and the other from ABE.
The company’s main product, Japanese Blended Whiskey Kumano, is a blend of Scotch and Japanese whisky, aged in oak barrels, and can be easily purchased at a relatively low price of 3,850 yen for a 500 ML bottle.

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One batch contains 500 kg of malted barley
Malt used is non-peat and peat 20 PPM.
Washback is stainless steel and distiller is 2000L first distillate and 1000L redistillate.
Warehouse is dunnage type
The distillery is currently under construction with a view to eventually touring the distillery and using domestic malt.

Location of the distillery: 1474 Ikuma, Kamitonda, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama	1474-1 Ikuma, Kamitonda-cho, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama 649-2103, Japan
Access to the distillery	30 minutes on foot from Asago Station on the JR Kinokuni Line
Start of operation	May 2019
Official HP	Kishu Kumano Distillery
Tour	Kishu Kumano Distillery
Products	JAPANESE CRAFT GIN Kumano Dry Gin “Sakaki” Series JAPANESE BLENDED MALT WHISKY Kumano

A representative whiskey of Kishu Kumano Distillery

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Nara Prefecture

5-15. Kamiki Brewery Nara Distillery

YOSHINO SPIRITS” is located in Osaka. The company ages its overseas whiskey additionally in Yoshino cedar and sells it overseas. The company renovated an old private house and established Nara Prefecture’s first distillery in the Yamakasu district of Soni Village.
The Turkish president, Mr. Shakar Gem, believes that the spring water of the Sone plateau is suitable for whiskey making, and plans to produce whiskey using barley and barrels produced in Sonimura in the future.

The official website is currently only for the overseas market, and it is unknown if the products produced will be sold to the Japanese market. It appears that the distillery plans to offer tastings and other events for visitors.
They have already released whiskey under the name of Single Malt, but what is currently being sold is from overseas. The company is aiming for a Japanese whiskey to be released around 2028.

The Soni Plateau Spring Group, recognized as one of the 100 best waters of the Heisei Era, will be used, and in addition to cedar, cherry, cypress, and pine trees will be used for the barrels used for maturation.

Location	Yamakasu, Soni-mura, Uda-gun, Nara-ken
Access	Soni Village Tourism Association (sonimura.com)
Start of operation	April 2024
Official HP	KAMIKI DORINKS(overseas site) Soni Village Official HP
Tours	Tour of Soni Village
Products	KAMIKI WHISKY