Category: Distilleries
Profiles of whisky distilleries across Japan.
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Nukada distillery: Kiuchi Shuzo and its whisky origin story
Why a 1823 Ibaraki sake brewer began distilling whisky at Nukada in 2016, its barley-recycling origin, and how the newer…
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Matsui Shuzo and Kurayoshi: the labelling dispute, explained
The history behind Matsui Shuzo’s Kurayoshi and Tottori brands, the JSLMA standard, and what trade press has reported, sourced throughout.
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Japanese whisky distilleries: the full list by region
Every operating Japanese whisky distillery we’ve researched, grouped by region, plus links into our full library of distillery guides.
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Okayama distillery: a sake brewer’s whisky experiment
Okayama distillery is run by a 1915 sake brewer that added beer, then whisky. How Miyashita Sake Brewing built a…
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Kaikyo distillery: how a sake brewery built Hatozaki whisky
Kaikyo (海峡) distillery makes Hatozaki whisky. Why Akashi Sake Brewery chose that name, not Akashi, and how the strait’s climate…
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Tsunuki distillery: Mars whisky’s return to its birthplace
Tsunuki (津貫) is where Mars Whisky maker Honbo Shuzo began. Why the company built its second distillery on its own…
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Saburomaru distillery: Toyama’s heavily peated whisky maker
Saburomaru distillery survived a fire and near-closure to become Japan’s most committed heavily peated whisky maker, built around a cast…
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Eigashima White Oak distillery: Japan’s early whisky licence
Eigashima White Oak has held a whisky licence since 1919 but stayed small, brewing sake, shochu and wine alongside whisky…
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Fuji Gotemba distillery: malt and grain made under one roof
Fuji Gotemba is the only Japanese distillery making malt and grain whisky on one site. Here is why it was…
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Asaka distillery: how a sake brewer revived a 1946 license
Asaka distillery revived a 1946 whisky license held by a 1765 sake brewery. Here is why Sasanokawa Shuzo waited seventy…
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Hakushu distillery: the forest distillery, and why it exists
Why Suntory built Hakushu, its forest distillery in the Southern Alps, to be deliberately different from Yamazaki rather than an…
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Miyagikyo distillery: built to be Yoichi’s opposite
How Nikka’s Miyagikyo distillery was engineered as Yoichi’s structural opposite, from still shape to climate, to widen its blending range.