Kenten Jitsugyo Corporation, owner of the Akkeshi distillery, announces the commercialization of whisky matured in Furano. Also, a promising distillery candidate site is found.
Akkeshi Distillery is one of the leading craft whisky makers in Japan.
What will the distillery and aging facility in Furano, northern Hokkaido, be like?
1．Kenten Jitsugyo Furano Distillery
Kenten Jitsugyo has been conducting test aging in Furano on the premise of building a distillery there for some time.
1-1．Furano Aged whisky
The distiller has been discovering the differences in aroma and taste due to the different aging environment in Furano, located in northern Hokkaido, and is on track to produce a whisky distilled in Akkeshi and aged in Furano by 2025.
Image credit: PRtimes Kenshen Jitsugyo Akkeshi Distillery
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↑whisky casks being matured in the Furano area
From now on, Furano-matured whisky will be used for one of the upcoming releases from Kenten Jitsugyo in the 24 Season series: “Shunbun, Rikka,Geshi, Risshuu, Shuubun, Shoukan”.
As a maturing environment, Furano can be said to be perfect, as it is ranked first among the “three ideal places for comfortable air” by a major air conditioning manufacturer.
1-2. Furano Distillery
Kenten Jitsugyo has been testing and maturing its products on the premise of building a distillery in Furano for some time. The land in Furano, where they had been considering building a distillery, was abandoned last year due to various reasons.
After that, they reexamined the specifications of the distillery and looked for a new candidate site in the Furano area, and the Nakafurano area was found as a candidate site.
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Furano has several lavender gardens, and a town-operated lavender garden exists in Nakafurano as well. whisky matures in the sea breeze in Akkeshi and in the lavender air in Furano.
Both are attractive and full of promise.
1-3. trademarks
We have already registered the name “Furano Distillery” as a trademark for the distillery we plan to build in the Furano area.
Products from the Akkeshi distillery and Furano aging distillery, which are scheduled to be released in 2025, will bear this trademark,
We hope that the products will be delivered to connoisseurs with the annotation “for discussion,” and that they will engage in a series of controversial discussions while thinking about the new distilleries.We hope that you will experience the differences in the aging environment between Akkeshi and Furano and give us your frank and wide-ranging opinions on how to realize the Furano distillery.
2. manufacturer
Kenten Jitsugyo Co.
| Established | 1982 |
| Head Office | Imperial Hotel Tokyo, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011, Japan |
| Owned distilleries | Akkeshi Distillery |
3．About Akkeshi Distillery
Akkeshi Distillery
| Location | 109-2, Miyazono 4-chome, Akkeshi-cho, Akkeshi-gun, Hokkaido 088-1124, Japan |
| Start of operation | October, 2016 |
2015 Started construction of distillery
2016 October distillation begins
2017 Completion of second maturation warehouse
2018 February: First product release as Akkeshi distillery. The 3rd maturation warehouse was completed.
2020 FebruaryFirst single malt whisky ” Saron Kamui ” is released.
AprilCompletion of the 4th maturation warehouse.
October: Released the firstsingle malt whisky in the 24 Season series, ” Single Malt Cold Dew “.
2021 New milling building is constructed (operation starts in 2022).
April 2023: Completion of the No. 5 Mature Warehouse.
The concept is “whisky with a flavor unique to Akkeshi, while inheriting the traditional Scottish process.
Deep fog with tidal air, clear air, and abundant peat. We believe that the climate of Akkeshi in Hokkaido will create the unknown flavor of Japanese whisky that we are looking for, and started distillation in 2016.
We will continue to hone our skills here in order to make the most of the “terroir” of Hokkaido and the land of Akkeshi in our whisky production, and at the same time, we will continue to work more deeply with the people and nature of the land. Barley and Quercus crispula grown in the land of Hokkaido, the beautiful water of Akkeshi, and peat containing abundant minerals. Our wish is to make everything from Hokkaido and deliver to the world a Japanese whisky that cannot be found anywhere else.
Reference: Blender’s Attention Blender’s Attention (Akkeshi Distillery)
With a strong desire to “make whisky like Islay malt using the traditional Scottish process,” the facilities are made by Forsyth in Scotland. All construction was carried out by Forsyth craftsmen visiting Japan. The pot stills are straight-headed and onion-shaped, similar to those at some distilleries on Islay. Heating is by radiator system (indirect heating), and the attached condenser is of shell-and-tube type and the mash tun is of semi-reuter type.
The fermentation tanks (washback) are all made of stainless steel, and the temperature is purposely not adjustable. The craftsman determines the timing of fermentation while letting nature take its course.
Currently, there are 5 aging rooms from the first to the fifth. The first is a dunnage type, and the second (next to the filling building) is currently used to store products prior to shipment. The third to fifth maturing warehouses are rack type, and are located on a hilltop overlooking Akkeshi Bay, where “sea fog” with the scent of the sea envelops the entire town of Akkeshi and deepens the maturation of the malt, which is expected to have a positive effect on the characteristics of the whisky.
In addition to bourbon and sherry, hard-to-find ” mizunara” oak is used as a maturing cask. Furthermore, we are challenging every possibility, such as matching with wine and rum casks.
In addition, barley, the raw material for whisky, is grown in Akkeshi, and everything, including peat and wooden casks for maturation, is produced in Akkeshi. As a new initiative, in August 2021, the distillery began experimentally maturing the distilled spirit at the Akkeshi distillery in Furano. What kind of changes will be brought about by the sake matured in Furano? This is exactly what terroir is all about, taking advantage of not only the locality of Akkeshi, but also the great individuality of “Hokkaido. The idea of “terroir”, which wine connoisseurs have probably heard a lot about, is incorporated into whisky, and the fusion of “the individuality of Akkeshi” and “the individuality of Hokkaido” and the whisky production utilizing the terroir of these lands is fascinating and the expectations are unlimited.
Lake Akkeshi andBessanbekyu Marsh in the vicinity of Akkeshi Town are registered wetlands under the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, adopted in Ramsar, Iran, on February 2, 1971, aims to conserve and make wise use of wetlands as habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife under international cooperation.
Our company aims to be a distillery that protects and coexists with this rich natural environment.
The tap water used for whisky is taken from the Homakai River upstream of the Ohoro River, which runs near the distillery. The surrounding area is a marshland and a habitat for baikamo ducks, which are said to live only in clear water. The small white flowers that bloom in summer are a symbol of the abundant water. This water nurtures the whisky of Akkeshi.
Reference: Akkeshi Distillery official website
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For information on the Akkeshi Distillery, please see also 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.
