In 2023, on the same grounds as the brewery where we make our Nanbu Bijin sake, we built Iwate’s first whisky distillery and barrel warehouse. In our distillery, we’ve opted to use a pot still by Yokoyama Engineering, and we’ve taken great care in choosing the angle and length of our lyne arm* in hopes of achieving the same “clean and pretty” flavor profile that we aim for in our sake.
At Hongura, we’ve prepared a tasting menu where you can get an early taste of our whisky as it matures. By Japanese whisky regulations, a spirit must be aged in a wooden barrel for at least three years on Japanese soil in order to be sold as Japanese Whisky, so Nanbu Bijin’s whisky won’t begin hitting store shelves for a while yet—2027 at the earliest. Since we can’t wait to share our journey with everyone, we’ve made available for tasting at Hongura a single batch of whisky that has recently begun aging* in a bourbon barrel. This early-stage whisky (“new make”) is undiluted and served at its original ABV of 61%. You can also revisit the same barrel again three or six months later to see how it’s changed, so we invite you to stop by periodically to experience the awesomeness of the barrel-aging process.*Filled into a 200L barrel on December 16, 2023
You can tour our whisky distilling facilities by booking a brewery tour at our Hongura shop. We distill every week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, mash on Thursday, and ferment on the remaining days in a cyclical process, so depending on the day you come, you can enjoy an array of aromas ranging from the sweet fragrance of malt to the boozy smell of new distillate. It’s an experience we’d love to share, so next time you stop by for a tasting, why not take a tour while you’re at it?
