On May 31, 2022, this was achieved by exchanging malt whiskey from three distilleries in Japan: Nagahama Distillery, Eigashima Distillery, and Saburomaru Distillery. Two blended whiskeys, “INAZUMA Edition No.3”, were released in a limited edition.
The “INAZUMA Blended Malt Japanese Whiskey Synergy Blend Edition No. 3” and “INAZUMA World Blended Whiskey Extra Selected Edition No. 3” are available in No. 3, but the latter is described on this page. The product name is “Shigeru”, which is the name of the prefecture.
The product name is derived from the appearance of the kanji character “Shigeru” in the prefecture’s name, and the label depicts the nature of Lake Biwa and the symbols of Hyogo Prefecture “stork” and Tonami City “hiyodori” that fly there. If you look into the center of the bottle, you can see the scenery of Lake Biwa, which is associated with each bottle.
1. Manufacturer
Nagahama Roman Beer Co.
| Establishment | 1995 (Heisei 7) |
| Head office | 14-1 Asahi-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga 526-0056 |
| Owned distillery | Nagahama Distillery |
2. distillery
Nagahama Distillery
| Address | 14-1 Asahi-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga 526-0056 |
| Start of operation | November 1, 2016 (Heisei 28) |
Nagahama Distillery, one of the smallest distilleries in Japan, is located in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and has both a craft beer brewery and a restaurant. Few distilleries, including major whiskey distilleries, have restaurants attached to them, and when it comes to craft whiskey distilleries, they are very rare.
The unique shape of the pot stills installed in the distillery reminds us of the very origin of whiskey making.
Nagahama Distillery was originally a rice warehouse from the Edo period (1603-1868), and began making beer in 1996. Later, in 2016, facilities for whiskey production were installed. The building has a vaulted ceiling, with a saccharification tank and distiller on the first floor, and a crusher and fermentation tank on the second floor.
There are two pot stills for first distillation and one for redistillation, and the heating system is an alambic type pot still shaped like an indirect steam gourd, a pot still often used for distilling brandy. Among Japanese craft distilleries, Nagahama Distillery is the only one currently using this alambic type pot still. One of the characteristics of this distillery is that it has the advantage of producing a clear, soft liquor with little miscellaneous taste.
Trial and error has been repeated between the establishment of the distillery and the present. Major changes include a change in the malt crush ratio and a change in fermentation time, which was initially 60 hours but has now been increased to 72 hours. Also, the number of distillers was increased from two to three. When the distillery was founded, the first distillation vessel had a capacity of 1,000 liters and the redistillation vessel had a capacity of 500 liters, but the redistillation vessel was also replaced, and all three distillation vessels are now 1,000 liters. The redistillation kettles were also replaced and all three distillation kettles were unified into a single 1,000-liter kettle. We have made many changes in the roughly four years since our founding, including the following.
Reference: Whiskey｜Nagahama Roman Beer
For more information about Nagahama Distillery, please also see this article.
3. product name and photo
INAZUMA World Blended Whiskey Extra Selected Edition No.3
INAZUMA World Blended Whisky Extra Selected Edition No. 3 
Features
Exchange of malt liquors from three distilleries in Japan: Nagahama Distillery, Eigashima Distillery, and Saburomaru Distillery.
The malt whisky from Nagahama distillery is used as the key malt, and the malt whisky from the three domestic distilleries used in the synergy blend are blended by changing the recipe composition. The long-aged grain whiskey successfully connects the unique malt whiskeys.
Whisky has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, and it is said that 90% of the whisky currently distributed in Japan is “blended whisky. In Scotland, the home of blended whiskey, there is an active exchange of whisky, resulting in the birth of many unique blended whiskeys, and it is not unusual for a single product to be a blend of whiskies from several distilleries. For INAZUAMA EDITION No. 3, the brewery attempted to blend the original spirits from three distilleries in Japan for the first time in the series.
Reference: Nagahama Romantic Beer Official ONLINE SHOP
4-1. Tasting Notes
| Aroma |
Esteely, fresh citrus, and a peaty aroma reminiscent of the seaside. |
| Taste | Malt flavor, lactic sweet and sour, rum raisin, bitter chocolate and sponge cake sweetness |
| Aftertaste | Slightly sweet and spicy, followed by soft peaty notes. |
4-2. Product Specifications
| Alcohol content | 47% (with a minimum of 5% alcohol by volume) |
| By Sake |
Malts from 3 distilleries in Japan Long-aged grain |
| Cask type | Cask type |
| Volume | 700ml |
| Number of bottles sold | Limited to 6,000 bottles |
| Suggested retail price | 7,590 yen (6,900 yen without tax) |
| Release date | May 31, 2022 |
5. Awards
No awards received at this time.
6. Price
6-1. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
| Product name | INAZUMA World Blended Whiskey Extra Selected Edition No. 3 |
| Capacity | 700ml |
| Suggested retail price | 7,590 yen (excluding tax: 6,900 yen) |
6-2. Resale price on Mercari
The resale price on Mercari is Around 7,000-11,000 yen The resale price on Mercari is (*As of 28/07/2022)
6-3. Sold price on Yahoo! Auction
Sold price on Yahoo! Auction is Lowest 5,500 yen, highest 7,500 yen, average 6,187 yen (*Statistics for the past 180 days from 2022/07/28)
6-4. Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon
The price is also available on the mail-order site Around 7,590-8,800 yen The price of the product is also sold at (*As of 2022/07/28)
6-5. Price offered at BAR Shinkai
At “BAR Shinkai” operated by this site 1 glass, 45ml: 2,310 yen, 30ml: 1,540 yen, 15ml: 770 yen The company offers its products at the following prices
https://jpwhisky.net/about/barshinkai/
7. Summary
I have the impression that the estrous aroma of Eigashima distillery, the peaty aroma of Saburomaru distillery, and the fruity flavor of Nagahama distillery are intertwined in a good way. Later on, lactic acidity and bitter chocolate-like residual aroma can also be detected, and the grain base liquor brings the malt characteristics together nicely. You can enjoy the changes of this whiskey over time.
Nagahama Distillery has been actively conducting crowdfunding activities such as “Whiskey Blending Experience,” and is making efforts to promote whiskey. We can’t take our eyes off their future activities.
Please check out other articles about Nagahama Distillery.
https://jpwhisky.net/inazuma-extraselected-no2-11180/
https://jpwhisky.net/inazuma-world-blended-malt-whisky-extra-selected-5928/
Lastly: Recommended Books on Japanese Whisky
If you want to learn more about Japanese whisky, which is a global trend, we highly recommend these books.
(1).Whisky Galore Vol.29 December 2021 issue
In the December 2021 issue of Whisky Galore, published by the Whisky Culture Research Institute, we report on 11 Japanese craft distilleries, including some that are open to the public for the first time, under the title of “Japanese Whisky Craft Frontline,” the first of three consecutive issues. Why did the popularity of Japanese whisky and the craft boom occur? We will examine with interviews. Chichibu Distillery / Chichibu No.2 Distillery / Mars Shinshu Distillery / Mars Tsunuki Distillery / Kanosuke Distillery / Hioki Distillery / Ontake Distillery / Osuzuyama Distillery / Kaikyo Distillery / Hanyu Distillery / Konosu Distillery
(2). Japanese Whisky as an Education for Business
This is a book written by Mamoru Tsuchiya, a world-famous whisky critic and representative of the Whisky Culture Research Institute, titled “Japanese Whisky as a Culture that Works for Business” .
The book covers the basics of whisky, the introduction of whisky to Japan, the birth of Japanese whisky, advertising strategies and the rise of Japanese whisky, and the current rise of craft distilleries. This is a book that summarizes Japanese whisky in a very easy to understand way.
(3). Whisky and I (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Nikka Whisky, devoted his life to brewing whisky in Japan. This is a revised and reprinted version of the autobiography of a man who simply loved whisky and talked about himself. The book vividly depicts the days when he went to Scotland alone to study as a young man and overcame many hardships to complete Japanese whisky, as well as his companion, Rita.
(4). A Letter of Challenge from a New Generation Distillery
Launching in 2019. With the world experiencing an unprecedented whisky boom, what were the managers of craft distilleries thinking and what were their thoughts as they took on the challenge of making whisky? This book tells the stories of 13 craft distillery owners, including Ichiro Hido of Venture Whisky, famous for his Ichirose Malt, who inspired the birth of craft distilleries in Japan.
(5). Whiskey Rising
This is the Japanese version of Whisky Risng, published in the US in 2016, with much updated content. Not only does it describe the history of Japanese whisky in detail, but it also includes data on all the distilleries in Japan, including the craft distilleries that have been founded in recent years. The book also includes descriptions of the legendary bottles that have been released, as well as information on bars where Japanese whisky can be found.
