Yuza (遊佐), the only whisky distillery in Yamagata Prefecture, released a new blended whisky called Yuza Special Blend on October 1, 2026. At 4,950 yen for a 700ml bottle without a gift carton, it is the most affordable release yet from a producer better known for small-batch single malts allocated in tiny quantities.
The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and labelled as a blended Japanese whisky. According to the distillery’s own announcement, it combines domestically produced grain whisky with a range of malt whiskies distilled at Yuza. Kinryu Co. (金龍), the sake and shochu maker that owns the distillery, describes a fruity, raisin-like aroma from sherry casks layered over a mellow, complex palate, the sherried profile that runs through most Yuza bottlings. A version with a printed carton is priced at 5,280 yen. Both prices include Japanese consumption tax.
Yuza built its name on malt. It began distilling in 2018 at the foot of Mount Chokai (鳥海山), using Forsyths pot stills and following Scottish production methods closely, and it has said from the start that it will not bottle young spirit until the team is satisfied the whisky is properly matured. Blended releases are newer for the distillery: it put out Yuza Signature Blend as a standard product and the limited Yuza Classical Blend, priced at 11,000 yen, earlier in 2026. Its malt program continued in parallel, with Fairy in Summer, a mizunara-cask single malt at 55% ABV and 16,500 yen, released in early July 2026. Special Blend sits well below all of these, and is aimed at drinkers who want the house style at an everyday price.
Because it uses grain whisky alongside Yuza’s malt, Special Blend is a blend rather than a single malt, and the grain component is described as domestically produced rather than imported. That detail matters under Japan’s labelling standard. For readers still sorting out the categories, our explainer on what counts as Japanese whisky covers the rules that apply, our guide to world blended whisky explains why grain sourcing changes how a bottle can be described, and our piece on Japanese grain whisky explains why so few Japanese producers make their own.
Why this matters
Kinryu is not a typical whisky start-up. The company was founded in 1950 with investment from nine sake breweries in the Sakata and Akumi area of northern Yamagata, and it presents the distillery as an extension of their quality-first sake culture rather than a new venture chasing the whisky boom. Its stated concept for Yuza is “TLAS”: Tiny, Lovely, Authentic, Supreme. The word “tiny” is literal. The site covers about 4,550 square meters and the distillery building only about 620, making it one of the smallest operating whisky distilleries in Japan. Kinryu spent two years comparing more than ten candidate sites before choosing Yuza, a town recognized by the national government in 1996 as one of Japan’s 100 notable water villages for its springs fed by Mount Chokai.
A distillery that small cannot make volume malt, and that is the real context for Special Blend. By blending its own malt with domestic grain, Kinryu can stretch a limited stock of mature spirit across more bottles without compromising its rule against releasing young single malt. It is the same route taken by other small Japanese producers, from Chichibu (秩父) to Nagahama (長濱), which used accessible blends to widen a range that began with scarce, expensive malt. For the wider industry, it is another sign that Japan’s craft distilleries are moving from a first wave of collector releases toward a stable everyday range, which is what builds a lasting brand.
For readers outside Japan
Special Blend is a domestic release. Kinryu’s announcement gives only Japanese retail prices and a Japanese inquiry number, and we found no confirmed export plan or overseas importer for this bottling. Early volumes will almost certainly stay in Japan. Yuza single malts do reach specialist retailers in the UK and Europe in small quantities, but they are allocated and usually priced well above their Japanese retail level, so expect the same if Special Blend ever travels.
The most reliable way to try it is to go to Yuza. Since April 1, 2026, the distillery has accepted public tour bookings for the first time. Tours run on Tuesdays through Fridays (Fridays at 1:30 p.m. only), last about 90 minutes, take a maximum of six people, include the stillhouse, a warehouse and a tasting of six whiskies, and cost 5,500 yen per adult. Visitors must be 20 or older, and bookings open two months ahead and close one week before the date. Payment at the shop is cashless only, and the distillery says some bottles are sold only on site. Shonai Airport is about 35 minutes away by taxi or rental car; by rail, take a local train from Sakata to Yuza station (13 minutes), then a five-minute taxi ride.
If you are shopping from home instead, look for Yuza’s single malts at specialist retailers and compare prices carefully. Our guides to buying Japanese whisky in the US and in the UK list retailers that ship legally, and our roundup of Japanese whisky under $100 covers blends that are easy to find abroad. If you are already traveling in Japan, our guide to buying Japanese whisky in Tokyo explains where small-distillery releases tend to appear.
Sources: Yuza Distillery, new product announcement (August 26, 2026) (Japanese); Yuza Distillery, our approach to whisky making (Japanese); Yuza Distillery, public tours from April 1, 2026 (Japanese); Yuza Distillery, Fairy in Summer announcement (Japanese); Japanese Whisky Dictionary (jpwhisky.net) (Japanese)