Whisky distillery in Atsukishi,
distillation finally starts next autumn!
<Part 2>

With a vision of a peated whisky like Islay malt, the Atsukishi distillery upholds the endemic nature of marrying with local products.The distillery grows barley and produces peat and malt, and takes on the challenge of creating a whisky that emphasises Akkeshi's unique character.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Lake Akkeshi is a mixture of freshwater and seawater.Fisheries have developed, supported by rich marine resources.

As of autumn 2015, construction of facilities has begun at the Akkeshi Distillery, and the production of pot stills to Akkeshi specifications is well underway in Scotland.


President Toita says, "I was involved in the process of looking at the drawings of the plant and thinking about the positioning of the machines, which was hard work in my own humanities way", but now he can see the whisky production site from the inside, which he had only seen from the outside as a whisky fan,Every day he deepens his understanding of whisky.


The initial plan was to run the production line with a minimum number of people, so compact, state-of-the-art facilities were considered.
One distillery building and one office building will be constructed, equipped with two pot stills and six fermentation tanks.
The building will be completed around spring next year, from where the machinery will be brought in and installed, with completion planned for the summer.
President Toita is looking forward to the installation of the pot still, which he says is "the most exciting part", and it is likely to be completed after the summer.

On the island of Jura, visited on an inspection trip in July 2015.Peat is leaching into the water of the creeks, and such rivers, large and small, are said to be common in Scotland.

The equipment is on track, but there is still a lot to do.
The first step is to find a suitable location for barley cultivation.
As Akkeshi experiences severe cold weather, the distillery cannot operate during the cold season, but we intend to conduct a peat survey during this time.
We would like to start producing malt from Akkeshi within five years using the traditional floor malting method.


We asked President Hida, who is involved in the field in this way, about the unique Japanese spirit of craftsmanship.


Kenten Jitsugyo handles raw materials for food products.
The raw materials imported by Kenten Jitsugyo are processed by Japanese manufacturers into a single product.
In this sense, they were proud to be involved in the manufacturing of Japanese products, but it was the first time for them to do everything from one to ten manufacturing on their own.


'When we think again about what manufacturing means to us, we want our whisky to be something that is based on the basics.
Someone advised us, for example, that when we wanted to make a peated whisky, we should first make a non-peated whisky and then switch to peated once the quality had stabilised."

Thanks to the Oyashio Current and Lake Akkeshi, the town of Atsukishi is rich in seafood.More than 50 types of seafood are landed, with oysters in particular being famous throughout the country.They are also an excellent partner for whisky, and Atsukishi "offers various possibilities in whisky making".With

In other words, the application of peat comes alive only when the non peat basis is solid.
We want to build a solid foundation by valuing the basics, and then use our ingenuity and ingenuity to make whisky in the finest Japanese style.
This seems to be the goal of the Akkeshi Distillery.


Also, Scotch whisky, a favourite of President Hita, has a wide variety of flavours, as there are so many distilleries in Scotland, even if the word 'Scotch' is used in a single word.
Even within a single distillery, many different variations are released, and they are so complex that it is difficult to tell which one is from which distillery.


Even amongst such distilleries, there are flavours such as Lagavulin and Ardbeg, which are recognisable in the first sip as 'that whisky from that distillery'.
If we can brew a variation that can be aged for a longer period of time, and that can be made from the climate of Atsukishi, then we will be able to create a new type of whisky. .....The dream continues to grow.

Mr Tanaka digging for peat in a Laphroaig peat bog.

'Islay is famous for oysters and scallops, but Akkeshi is also a major oyster producing area.
In fact, the other day I met a charismatic oyster farmer from Akkeshi.
I brought him a bottle of whisky as a souvenir and he became a fan of whisky first (laughs).
(Laughs) In the future, I would like to collaborate with whisky and oysters to make something that goes well with each.


Also, Nekushiro is one of the best dairy farming areas in Japan, so we can think of cheeses that go well with whisky.
The area is also home to many Ezo deer, and we are looking forward to matching smoked deer and whisky, as they are both smoky.
It is still a long way off, but we would like to actively propose a marriage with local products from Akkeshi.


Distillation started in autumn 2016.
The first drop will be available in 2019.
Please look forward to seeing what the Atsugishi whisky will taste like in four years' time.