Yamazaki & Hakushu, the world’s top Japanese whiskey brands, go inside the new distillery, which underwent a major renovation at a cost of 10 billion yen.
Distillery with SOUL and LIVE!
It was 100 years ago that Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory, started making whiskey in Yamazaki. Five years after the start of operations, the first domestically produced whiskey, “Shirofuda,” was released. The advertising copy for this whiskey, which was priced the same as imported whiskey such as Johnnie Walker Red, read, “Wake up, people! The age of blind faith in imported whiskey has already passed.
And now, Japanese whiskey is truly on top of the world: at the 2023 International Spirits Challenge in London, Yamazaki 25 Year Old won the top prize in all categories. The reason for the award was that “Yamazaki 25 Year Old is a multi-layered whisky of great complexity, made from a wide variety of base spirit.
Coincidentally, the Yamazaki distillery and the Hakushu distillery, which was completed 50 years after the Yamazaki distillery was awarded this prize, underwent major renovations and made a fresh start. With the distilleries said to be in short supply, is the purpose of the renovations to increase production?
The purpose of the facility renovation is to improve the quality of our products. In order to respond to the patronage of our fans in Japan and abroad, we would like to take on the challenge of creating a greater variety of base sake and aiming for even higher quality,” says Nobuyuki Akiyama, General Manager of Suntory’s Whisky Business Division.
Yamazaki Distillery, with the theme of “SOUL” of craftsmanship, pursues more than ever the delicious quality that has been maintained since its establishment, including the enhancement of R&D facilities and pilot distilleries. On the other hand, Hakushu Distillery, with the theme of “LIVE!”, will protect water quality and explore more forest flavors based on coexistence with nature, including protection of wild birds.
To welcome the general public, the distillery has also renovated its facilities to provide easy-to-understand explanations of the distilling process and a space where visitors can sample the distilled sake. A tour that allows visitors to have a premium experience by lottery has also begun.
I want to visit the sacred place of whiskey in Japan and feel “SOUL” and “LIVE!
| Yamazaki Distillery | The sacred land of Japanese whiskey celebrating its 100th anniversary |
Construction began in 1923 as Japan’s first full-scale malt whiskey distillery, and the distillery celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023. The site is located at the confluence of the Katsura, Uji, and Kizu Rivers, where the warm and moist environment is ideal for whisky maturation, and is also famous for its water, which is mentioned in Manyo poetry.
Various fermentation vats, distillation tanks, and aging casks are used, and the production facilities have been repeatedly renovated and newly built. This time, the entrance “Yamazaki no Mori” was newly built, and the “Yamazaki Whisky Museum,” which has remained from that time, was renewed. A tasting lounge featuring original Yamazaki whiskey that can only be tasted here has also been opened.
| Hakushu Distillery | A forest distillery at one with nature |
The distillery was built in 1973, 50 years after construction of the Yamazaki distillery began. It is located in a cool area at an altitude of 700m above sea level at the foot of Kai Komagatake in the Southern Alps, surrounded by a vast forest.
The brewery uses good water from the mountainous strata to produce a different type of sake from Yamazaki. Only wooden vats are used for fermentation. Peat malt is also used in the brewing process, and the peaty aroma is a major characteristic of Hakushu.
The renovations include a new visitor center and lounge. A bird sanctuary and restaurant are scheduled to open in 2024.
