Whisky distillery in Akkeshi,
distillation will finally start next autumn!
<Part 1>

Last autumn, it was announced that "the first whisky distillery in the east of Hokkaido" would be built.This summer, the website was completed, the construction of the facility started and the whisky distillery in Akkeshi is finally underway.Let us be the first to tell you about the taste we are aiming for.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

The town of Akkeshi is located in the south-east of Hokkaido.The Betsukanbegyu Marsh is also rich in peat and prone to fog in summer due to the influence of ocean currents.

The global trend towards 'craft' spirits, which are made at small distilleries and are full of character, is now giving birth to a new craft whisky in Japan.
This is the case with the Akkeshi Distillery, which will start distilling next autumn in Akkeshi, Hokkaido.
We interviewed Keiichi Hida, managing director of the distillery, about the distillery's whisky production, which is attracting attention as the first whisky distillery in the east of Hokkaido!
What is the whisky that the Akkeshi distillery is aiming for?


Last autumn, plans were announced for the construction of a new Japanese whisky distillery, the 'Akkeshi Distillery'.
The distillery will produce malt whisky in Akkeshi-cho, Hokkaido.
The company is Kanten Jitsugyo, which imports food ingredients and exports alcoholic beverages.


The first time I drank whisky was when I was a student," says Kanten Jitsugyo's president, Mr Toita.
At first, he drank bourbon with soda as recommended by the adults around him, but when he started visiting authentic bars, he was completely fascinated by the deep flavours of whisky.

Pot stills were commissioned from Forsyths in Scotland for wash and spirit stills.

'I tried whiskies from different distilleries, but the one that really appealed to me was Islay malt.
I was struck by its distinctive peaty, smoky taste.
Since then, I vaguely dreamt that one day I would like to make whisky like Islay malt, but in the traditional Scottish way.


With the Japanese whisky boom, that dream came true sooner than expected.The Japanese whisky boom made it possible for that dream to come true sooner than expected.
Kenten Jitsugyo, which imports raw materials for foodstuffs, also deals in alcoholic beverages.
The company exports domestically sourced raw liquor to other countries, but due to the popularity of whisky in recent years, it has fallen into a situation where raw liquor is hard to come by.
The whisky was difficult to obtain due to the popularity of whisky in recent years.
Kanten Jitsugyo finally embarked on the whisky production that President Toita had longed for.


Whisky requires at least three years of storage and maturation after distillation, so it takes a long time to recover the investment.
How do you cover the time until the whisky is profitable?
If you look at it as a business, it remains an adventure.
Fortunately, with our core business doing well, we were able to gain the understanding of our shareholders, and we were finally able to formulate a business plan."

President Toita and distillation manager Takashi Tanaka visited the Isle of Jura distillery on the small island of Jura, which has a population of less than 200 people.

The first stage of the whisky project is still Scotch whisky.
For the site of the distillery, I decided on the town of Akkeshi in Hokkaido, which has a similar climate to that of the island of Islay.
When I visited Atsugishi for the first time, the marshland covered in sea mist looked just like I had imagined, and I knew that this was the only place to build a distillery!I knew that if I wanted to build a distillery, this was the place to do it!


If the place is similar to Islay, I want to make it in the traditional Scottish way.
Therefore, the important equipment was imported from Scotland.
The pot stills have already been ordered from Forsyths, and local engineers have designed a still that meets the needs of the Akkeshi Distillery.
Malt is also imported from Scotland.


The malt is made on Islay, so it is Islay malt, and if it is made on Atsugishi, it will surely have some Atsugishi-ness to it.
This 'Akkeshi-ness' is the reason why we were attracted to Akkeshi.


The reason why we chose Akkeshi is because we can get peat here.
The reason why we chose Akkeshi is because we can get peat here, and we have the sea and the mountains here, so we can get different types of peat.
The quality of the peat is different from that of Islay because the vegetation is different, but it is possible to use different types of peat depending on the whisky you are aiming for.
It is the perfect land for whisky making.


We are looking for a place in the same town of Akkeshi-cho and are thinking of starting barley cultivation.
I want to make Atsugishi malt with local peat and barley, and then incorporate the traditional Scottish process into it, to explore the unique flavour of Atsugishi.
Our ultimate goal is to create a taste unique to Atsugishi that can't be found anywhere else in the world."

Bourbon and sherry casks and hard-to-find Mizunara oak barrels will be used for maturation.The company plans to introduce barrels from Ariake Sangyo, the only independent manufacturer of Western casks in Japan.

In between interviews, I was given a tasting of the test maturation, which has been underway since 2013, when the project was launched.
It is made from original spirit purchased from two distilleries in Japan and matured in bourbon and sherry casks.
It is said to have been matured for less than a year and a half, but I was surprised at the depth of flavour, which was deeper than I had imagined.
According to the company, the difference in temperature between minus 20°C in the cold and 25°C in the summer is probably the reason why the maturing process in the casks goes faster than expected.


In July, President Toita flew to Scotland with a production line manager.
They visited distilleries in the area, while discussing the design of pot stills with Forsyths's engineers.


The roughly two-week trip took in all the distilleries on Islay and Jura, and in the Mainland, the distilleries around Forsyths's.
'It's important to see and touch the real thing on the ground at Kilhoman, Ardbeg and Laphroaig .......
It's important to see and experience the real thing on site, because it makes you want to get closer to the place as soon as possible.
The staff at each distillery welcomed me with a welcoming mood, saying 'ask me any questions you want', and I learnt a lot.
I also took the person who was actually in charge of production with me, and he stayed on after I returned home and continued his inspection."

The Bruichladdich Distillery, which was visited on a tour of Scotland, also experienced a new make tasting with master distiller Jim McEwan.

According to Takashi Tanaka, distillation manager, "The most interesting thing about Scotland was the difference in production methods between distilleries".


There were differences in all the processes.
For example, the degree of mashing of the malt and the number of times water is added in the mashing process.
Fermentation can be as short as 40 hours in some places, but can exceed 100 hours in others.
The shape of the pot still and timing of the middle cut differs from distillery to distillery, as does the degree of cask filling.
Furthermore, there are variations in the type of casks, such as bourbon, sherry and wine.
It was a great learning experience to see with my own eyes that the parameters involved in the character of whisky that can be made are infinite.


Whisky is a local drink, but at the same time it is made with the skill and passion of its makers.Whisky is a local drink, but it is also made with the skill and passion of its makers.
The experience in Scotland convinced him of this and made him want to work with passion and skill to create his own local sake.


Another happening was that she happened to meet Mamoru Tsuchiya, who was on a research trip, and was able to accompany him for the interview.
It was also a great learning experience for him to see the interview scene up close.


In the second part, we will report on the shape of the whisky that the Atsukishi distillery is aiming for from various angles, including the actual distillery equipment plan and the marriage with local ingredients from Akkeshi.


Continued in Part 2.