Discovering Japan – Yasato Distillery
Warm greetings. I am Yasukazu Yokota, Food & Beverage Manager at Park Hyatt Tokyo. In mid-October, my colleagues and I visited Yasato Distillery owned by Kiuchi Brewery in Ibaraki.
A total of 14 Park Hyatt Tokyo associates travelled to Yasato Distillery aboard the “Hitachino Bar Bus”. Kiuchi Brewery’s famous “Hitachino Nest Beer” owl logo adorned the bus that we traveled on, and included a special bar counter that we could sample Kiuchi Brewery’s whisky, gin and beer, while learning about their history.
Kiuchi Brewery has a 200-year history of brewing sake in the Hitachino region. In 2020, Kiuchi Brewery launched Yasato Distillery, a new venture to produce Japanese whisky using domestically sourced materials and ingredients. Kiuchi Brewery is not only known for their sake, but they also produce beer, craft gin and plum wine. About a 90-minute bus ride from Shinjuku, Yasato Distillery is located at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The vast temperature differences between day and night, and high quality water were the reaons why this location was decided for the distillery.
Aiming to rediscover the allure of the Hitachi area through sake and food, great emphasis was placed on utilizing and recycling local resources, such as converting a discontinued local community center into the brewery. During the visit, we were introduced to the entire process of whisky production, from malt crushing to fermentation, distillation, maturation and blending.
Although it is possible to use imported barley and still claim it is ‘Japanese whisky’, Kiuchi Brewery aspires to produce a unique Japanese whisky that utilizes Japan’s rich natural environment. Historically, Ibaraki Prefecture was the largest barley-growing region in Japan. However, with the liberalization of trade, even domestic whisky producers shifted to using inexpensive imported malt, leading to a decline in domestic barley cultivation. Driven by the desire to craft domestic whisky with barley grown in Ibaraki, Kiuchi Brewery continued to make efforts to grow barley in Ibaraki. In addition, leveraging their knowledge and experience in sake and beer production, they use an original yeast strain cultivated in-house to produce their whisky, adding a distinctive touch to their blends.
We were very impressed by the fact that the production is made with a strong focus on local ingredients, the recyling of rice shavings from the sake process, and the use of original yeast.
The maturation of their base whisky primarily takes place in bourbon barrels, complemented by sherry, wine, and smoky Scottish whisky barrels. Additionally, they also age whisky in unique sakura (cherry wood) barrels made from domestically sourced cherry trees. Interestingly, whisky aged in sakura barrels is said to have a subtle flavor reminiscent of sakura mochi (cherry blossom sticky rice).
After touring the production process, we experienced a whisky tasting. To accompany the whisky, we were served cured ham and sausages made from Hitachino pork, raised on feed made from whisky malt waste. The prosciutto and sausage is produced at a Hitachino Ham Factory located onsite and is branded as Barrel Smoke because they are smoked using aged casks chips. The pairing of the charuterie, gently infused with a smoky aroma, with the whisky was just perfect.
During the tasting, we were fortunate enough that Mr. Kiuchi, President of Kiuchi Brewery joined us to share his personal stories and explain more about the blending process. He said that ever since his first trip to Scotland, he harbored a deep passion to produce Japanese whisky. His wish was fulfilled with the launch of Yasato Distillery, and by 2023 he was able to malt and process locally produced grains at his brewery. He said, ‘we will walk hand in hand with nature and the people of this region.”
It was a wonderful experience for us to learn about Kiuchi Brewery and their sincere efforts toward sustainability and community intergration.
