Japan’s largest whisky & spirits tasting event, “Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama,” tickets go on sale February 10!
Tickets for the featured tasting seminars will also go on sale simultaneously.
WHISKY & SPIRITS FESTIVAL 2026 in YOKOHAMA will be held on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2026.
This event features not only whisky but also “Distilled spirits from around the world,” including gin, rum, shochu, and more.
Starting this year, food trucks will be on-site, so you can enjoy delicious snacks while sipping your drinks! Furthermore, over 100 exhibitors have confirmed their participation this year, making it a large-scale two-day event.
Whisky Culture Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Mamoru Tsuchiya) will hold the “Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama” on Saturday, April 25,February 10 (Tuesday) at 12:00 noon via the digital ticket system “CLOUD PASS”.
As a member benefit, Whisky Culture Institute members will have priority access to purchase tickets in advance. This priority sale will be limited to 400 tickets per session and will run from Tuesday, February 3rd at 12:00 PM until Sunday, February 8th at 11:59 PM.
To purchase admission tickets, click the ticket purchase button on the event’s official homepage. You will be redirected to the digital ticket system “CLOUD PASS” site. Register the required information and complete your purchase. General sales begin Tuesday, February 10 at 12:00 PM.
During the general sale, you can purchase up to 5 tickets for any one session per application, and these tickets can be distributed.
You may submit multiple applications.
You may also purchase tickets for both sessions held on the same day and attend both. However, you must completely exit the venue when switching between sessions.
For members of the Whisky Culture Institute, a member benefit advance sale will be held from Tuesday, February 3rd at 12:00 PM until Sunday, February 8th at 11:59 PM, with a limited quantity of 400 tickets per session.
Each member may purchase up to one ticket per session. Detailed purchase instructions will be sent to your registered email address on Monday, February 2nd.
Admission on the event day will be via QR code; no paper tickets will be mailed by the organizer . Please keep the [Purchase Confirmation Email] you receive after payment is complete in a safe place.
Please note that for both general sales and member pre-sales, a separate “CLOUD PASS” system usage fee applies in addition to the admission fee.
2. Event Overview
Event Name: Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama
Date & Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026 Part 1: 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM Part 2: 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
April 26 (Sun) Session 3: 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM / Session 4: 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Admission: ¥5,000 (tax included)
Capacity: 2,000 attendees per session (total 8,000 attendees over 2 days)
Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama
The “Whisky & Spirits Festival,” held in February 2024 and April 2025, is an event where the Whisky Culture Institute—which annually hosts the “Whisky Festival” specializing in Western spirits like Whisky and gin—expanded its scope to encompass “distilled spirits from around the world.” It brings together a wide variety of spirits from Japan, such as shochu and awamori, and from around the globe.
The third iteration, “Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama,” will be held at Pacifico Yokohama.
At booths throughout the venue, visitors can sample distilled spirits from around the world, including Whisky, gin, shochu, and awamori, while bottles and merchandise will also be available for purchase.
Furthermore, you can interact directly with producers, which is one of the major attractions of this event.
The event will operate on a full rotation system with two sessions per day (four sessions total), and admission tickets will be sold for a limited capacity of 2,000 people per session.
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale in early February.
This event is open not only to bartenders and liquor industry professionals but also to the general public of enthusiasts.
One of the highlights of this event is the tasting seminar, featuring an impressive lineup of instructors from Japan’s leading craft whisky distilleries. A total of 8 sessions will be held. The venue is Pacifico Yokohama, Exhibition Hall 2nd Floor, E25 and E26.
Details: Starting from the goal of achieving a preferred spirit profile, how are raw material characteristics like local barley and peated malt understood? This session covers the practical technical decisions made on-site: selecting yeast strains, approaches to microorganisms during fermentation, fermentation design unique to local barley, judgments enabling peated malt production, and distillation philosophies. Following the process from raw materials through fermentation and distillation, we introduce the hands-on technical decisions made to craft the final spirit profile.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
② Date & Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Title: Indulging in Scientific Fantasies in the Deep Mountains of the Southern Alps
Instructor: Mr. Yasuhide Seto (Director, Ikawa Distillery, Juzan Co., Ltd.)
Details: A challenge from paper manufacturing to a different industry.
Diving into the world of whisky, we challenge ourselves to create using analytical skills cultivated in paper manufacturing.
Will it taste good…? While cherishing hypotheses, evidence, and even wild ideas, he conducts repeated experiments based on chemical speculation amidst the great nature of the Southern Alps, crafting diverse original spirits.
This time, in addition to Flora and Fauna (released in 2025), we will prepare three types of cask-strength spirits. Director Seto will provide detailed explanations, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about the production process.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
③ Date & Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Title: LOUD & SMALL: The Future of Loud Grain® × Small Batch Grain®
Instructor: Mr. Kouji Matsumoto (Director, Yoshida Denzai Distillery, Yoshida Denzai Kogyo Co., Ltd.)
Details: Under the mission of Yoshida Denzai Distillery MISSION1 “Expanding the Diversity of Japanese Whisky,” we have produced various mash bill spirits over the past year. The number stands at approximately 16 types (as of December 2025).This seminar offers tastings of diverse base spirits, including the 2-year-aged whisky “Stardelta” (releasing in 2026), a comparison between last year’s seminar’s New Pot still sample “Bornes” and a lactic acid bacteria-infused aged spirit, as well as matured base spirits like rice whisky and rye whisky “Newborn”.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
④ Date & Time: Saturday, April 25, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Title: The Challenges and Evolution of Suzaki Distillery. The Future of Okinawan Whisky as Told by “Ryuka”.
Instructor: Mr. Naoya Shinzato (Production Department Manager & Blender, Shinzato Shuzo Co., Ltd. Suzaki Distillery)
Details: Thanks to your support, we’ve reached our sixth year of production. The TWSC2025 Japan Grand Prix award for “Ryuka NEWBORN 2024” proved the unique appeal of Okinawa’s short-aged Whisky in the best possible way.
In this seminar, we’ll openly share the history of Shinzato Shuzo, the inside story of our entry into the market, and the gritty trial and error and behind-the-scenes blending process! For the tasting, you’ll compare the “growth trajectory” from the TWSC2025 award-winning NEWBORN to a 3-year-old expression.The biggest highlight is an exclusive preview tasting of “Ryuka SINGLE MALT JAPANESE WHISKY 2026 Early Summer (tentative name)”, scheduled for release in May. Furthermore, we will offer the base spirits used in its composition – the Awamori Cask spirit and the Sherry Cask spirit – at cask strength. Be among the first to experience the latest evolution of the ever-evolving “Ryuka”.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
⑤ Date & Time: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Details: In addition to tasting Nagahama Distillery’s base spirits, you’ll experience a Japanese blended whisky exclusive to this event, crafted by combining grain and malt base spirits from our sister distillery, Hishida Distillery.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
⑥ Date & Time: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Title: The History of Taｍba Distillery and Its Whisky and Gin
Details: We will explain the history of Taｍba Distillery and its commitment to craftsmanship, and provide a detailed explanation of the appeal of whisky and gin. In the latter half of the seminar, we will thoroughly introduce the flavor characteristics of each spirit through actual tasting.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
⑦ Date & Time: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Title: “THE QUEST FOR THE ORIGINAL ~ Pursuit of Originality” The Challenge of Shindo Distillery
Details: We will explain in detail the two defining characteristics of Shindo Distillery: ① its unique production method and ② its diverse range of casks used for maturation. For tasting, we will offer “EXPERIMENTAL 02,” scheduled for release just before the seminar, along with its constituent base spirits. Additionally, we will bring a special reserve spirit.
Fee: ¥4,500 (tax included)
⑧ Date & Time: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Title: Uncovering Kavalan Whisky’s 20-Year Journey Through On-Site Reporting
Details: Kavalan Whisky, Taiwan’s world-renowned single malt.
How did it grow to dominate the global whisky scene in just over a decade since its birth? In this seminar, Mamoru Tsuchiya, Director of the Whisky Culture Institute, delves into the core of Kavalan Distillery’s philosophy, maturation environment, and cask selection, based on his on-site research in Taiwan conducted in December 2025.
The tasting session will feature a comprehensive experience of Kavalan’s diverse expressions, including the 2009 vintage Oloroso Sherry Cask Strength and Ex-Bourbon Cask Strength bottled to commemorate its 15th anniversary, as well as the Solist series. This is a valuable tasting seminar where you can deeply savor Kavalan Whisky’s “current state” and “true value,” presented through Tsuchiya Mamoru’s unique perspective and the latest information gathered during his on-site research.
Fee: ¥6,000 (tax included) *Note: Fee differs from other seminars.
[How to Purchase Seminar Tickets]
Please purchase an admission ticket for the “Whisky & Spirits Festival 2026 in Yokohama” in advance for the day the seminar is held. Then, tap the application button for your desired seminar on the digital ticket to proceed with your registration.
Only one ticket per person per seminar may be purchased. Even if you purchase multiple admission tickets, you cannot purchase more than one ticket for the same seminar.
In such cases, the admission tickets must be distributed to the attendees, and the recipients must complete the purchase process themselves.
Please note that in addition to the seminar fee, a separate “CLOUD PASS” system usage fee applies for purchase.
Important Notes:
・You can only purchase seminar tickets for seminars held on the day you plan to attend.
Purchase of an admission ticket for 【Part 1】 or 【Part 2】 ⇒ You can purchase seminar tickets for the seminar held on Saturday, April 25.
Purchase of an admission ticket for [Part 3] or [Part 4] ⇒ You can purchase seminar tickets for the seminar held on Sunday, April 26.
・Seminar tickets cannot be purchased separately.
・Purchased tickets cannot be canceled, changed, or refunded for any reason.
Festival-Exclusive Original Bottle
Events hosted by the Whisky Culture Institute include lottery tickets for the “Festival-Exclusive Original Bottle” sale, where you might win a limited-edition bottle from a popular domestic distillery. Details are expected to be announced on the official website closer to the event date.
4. Summary
The Whisky & Spirits Festival continues to grow in scale.
Tickets are sure to be in high demand each time, so be sure to set a reminder for February 10th.
スポンサーリンク
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
