Nagahama Distillery will begin selling the World whisky Thunderbird Series, batting Nagahama sake with overseas sake, on December 17, 2024.
Nagahama Distillery has collaborated with various distilleries, anime, and manga, and now the old-fashioned Thunderbird series will be released in World whisky.
The product expresses the characteristics and roles of each mecha through whisky. What kind of flavors will the products have?
World whisky Thunderbird Series
whisky inspired by Thunderbirds No. 1 through No. 5, the rescue mecha that appeared in the special effects TV program “Thunderbirds,” which began airing in Japan in 1966, will be available at liquor stores nationwide and on the Nagahama Romantic Beer website from December 17, 2024 (Tue.) on a limited basis.
This whisky is inspired by the five rescue mechas in the classic Thunderbird series, and was created by blending carefully selected foreign and Nagahama sake. Each whisky is based on a flavor concept that reflects the characteristics and role of the mecha, and can be enjoyed on its own or blended with several to create a personalized taste.
Reference: Nagahama Distillery official website
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Product name Thunderbird No. 1 Pilot SCOTT TRACY Capacity 500ml Ingredients Malt, Grain Alcohol content 47% alcohol by volume Number of bottles 500 bottles Reference retail price 5,500 yen (tax included) Bottle concept Dry
Light and spicy. While waiting for malty sweetness, it has a sharp sharpness and dry impression for highball taste.
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Product name Thunderbird No. 2, Pilot VIRGIL TRACY Capacity 500ml Ingredients Malt Alcohol content 47% alcohol by volume Number of bottles 500 bottles Reference retail price 5,500 yen (tax included) Bottle concept Smoky
Smoky type. A blend of malts only, with a heavy and rich flavor. Peaty and herbal taste with a smoky base.
| Product name | Thunderbird No. 3 Pilot ALAN TRACY |
| Capacity | 500ml |
| Ingredients | Malt |
| Alcohol content | 47% alcohol by volume |
| Number of bottles | 500 bottles |
| Reference retail price | 5,500 yen (tax included) |
| Bottle concept | Woody |
Distinctive oaky aroma from the use of Mizunara oak barrel-aged original. It has an oriental and spicy taste reminiscent of cinnamon and cloves.
| Product name | Thunderbird No. 4 Pilot GORDON TRACY |
| Capacity | 500ml |
| Ingredients | Malt, Grain |
| Alcohol content | 47% alcohol by volume |
| Number of bottles | 500 bottles |
| Suggested retail price | 5,000 yen |
| Bottle Concept | Tropical |
Tropical flavors reminiscent of mango and pineapple, created by the use of rum barrel-aged base spirit. It can be enjoyed as a cocktail base as well as on its own.
| Product name | Thunderbird No. 5 Pilot JOHN TRACY |
| Capacity | 500ml |
| Ingredients | Malt, Grain |
| Alcohol content | 47% alcohol by volume |
| Number of bottles | 500 bottles |
| Reference retail price | 5,500 yen (tax included) |
| Bottle concept | Floral |
A gorgeous, yet fresh and light taste. It is a blended whisky with a round impression on the palate derived from sherry casks.
Reference blending image of each bottle
(1) No.2 x No.4 2:8 Tropical Peated
2) No.1 x No.5 7:3 Woody & Dry
3) No. 3 x No. 2 9:1 Oriental & Lightly Peated
Available for purchase from the official SHOP
About Nagahama Distillery
3₋1. Nagahama Distillery
| Location | 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, Shiga Prefecture, and houses a craft beer brewery and a restaurant. Few distilleries, including major whisky distilleries, have restaurants attached to them, and when it comes to craft whisky distilleries, they are very rare.
The unique shape of the pot stills installed in the distillery reminds us of the very origin of whisky 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 whisky production were installed. The building has a vaulted ceiling, with a saccharification tank and distiller on the first floor, and a grinder 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. This alambic type pot still is a rare type of distiller in Japan. The feature of this distiller is that it has the advantage of producing clear, soft liquor with little miscellaneous taste.
Trial and error was repeated between the establishment of the company and the present. Major changes include a change in the malt mash ratio and a change in fermentation time, which was initially 60 hours but has now been changed to 72 hours. After that, distillation was done while adjusting the fermentation time in order to create different types of original sake. The number of distillers was increased from two to three. When the distillery was founded, the first distillation kettle was 1,000 liters and the second distillation kettle was 500 liters, but the second distillation kettle was also replaced, and all three distillation kettles were unified to 1,000 liters. The rest of the redistillation kettles are almost never cleaned, following the example of Scottish distilleries. We have made many changes since our establishment until now.
Nevertheless, the spirit of the concept “one brew, one barrel” has remained unchanged and they continue to make whisky.
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Reference: whisky｜Nagahama Romantic Beer
For past products of Nagahama Distillery, click here.
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.
