Web: http://www.suntory.co.jp/
English Web: http://www.suntory.com/
Products (Full Range): http://www.suntory.co.jp/products/index.html
Whisky: http://www.suntory.co.jp/whisky/
Products (Whisky Range): http://www.suntory.co.jp/whisky/info/
Suntory is the first and the biggest whisky
distilling company in Japan. There were just
imitation whisky companies based on spirit
producers before Suntory. The founder Shinjiro
Torii has founded Kotobukiya as imitation-wine
and imitation-whisky bottlers. He has got
Masataka Taketsuru as a distilling master
and founded the first malt whisky distillery
Yamazaki. Their "Suntory Shirofuda"
is known as the first Japanese real whisky.
Now Suntory is a big business including drink,
food, soft drink and medical fields. They
have two malt whisky distilleries Yamazaki
& Hakushu and one grain whisky distillery
Sungrain.
Yamazaki
Address: Yamazaki 5-2-1, Honcho, Mishimagun,
Osaka, 618-0001
TEL: 075 962 1423
Water: Underground water from Mt.Tennoh
Visitor is welcome
Tour: A one hour guide tour is vailable at
10:00、11:00、12:00、13:00、14:00、15:00
(Booking is required to a group over 100
people.)
Contact: JR Osaka=>JR Yamazaki (25minutes)
JR Kyoto=>JR Yamazaki (25minutes) JR Yamazaki=>Yamazaki
Distillery (10 minutes on foot)
Yamazaki Distillery:
http://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/yamazaki/
Map:
http://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/yamazaki/access/index.html
Yamazaki Distillery is the first distillery
in Japan and was built in 1923. The first
domestic whisky "Suntory Shirofuda"
(blended) was on sale in 1929. It is situated
at the foot of Mt. Tenzan on west-east of
Kyoto and three rivers come into River
Yodo at the south of the distillery.
The well water in this district is famouse
at the good charactors although the
situation is between two big cities Osaka
and Kyoto. 12 stilles in six types give
each different spirit. The five low wine stilles
are heated by gas fire and the rest stills are heated by steam. Six from the 12 stilles were replaced with smaller ones of different styles from the past ones in 2006.
Yamazaki has a good visitor centre and shop.
Visitors can try Yamazaki 12yo malt whisky
for free. But their whisky tasting house
"Yamazaki Whisky Kan" by the
distillery has a wide range of cask samples
and visitors can try them at reasonable prices.
Single malt whisky: Yamazaki 10yo 40%, Yamazaki 12yo 43%, Yamazaki 18yo 43%, Yamazaki 25yo 43%, Yamazaki 35yo, Yamazaki 50yo, Yamazaki Sherry Wood 1986 43%
Hakushu
Address: Torihara 2913-1, Hakushucho, Komagun,
Yamanashi, 408-0316
TEL: 0551 35 2211
Water: Undergrounf water of Kai-Komagatake
Visitor is welcome
Tour: A 70 minutes guide tour is vailable
(Booking is required to a group over 10 people.)
Contact: JR Kobuchizawa=>Hakushu Distillery
(10 minutes by TAXI)
Hakushu Distillery:
http://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/hakushu/
Map:
http://www.suntory.co.jp/factory/hakushu/access/index.html
Hakushu Distillery was built in a beautiful
forest at the southern foot of Japan Alps
in 1973, 50 years after Yamazaki was built.
The natural features are nice and a bird
watching site is opened to the public. The
first distillery building has 24 stilles
in various styles and the whisky was supplied
only for blending. This was working
by the beginning of 90's but it seems
silent now.
The second distillery building was
built in 1981 in the same estate for producing
spirits of other charactors than Hakushu
distillery. Called as Hakushu Higashi distillery
and first treated as another distillery than the
original Hakushu. This has wooden washbacks
and 12 stilles fired by gas fire in the
modern building. The bottlings named as "Hakushu"
are the whisky from this distillery
building. Higashi means "East"
or "Eastern". At the end of 80's
all of the stilles got purifieres fitted.
The distilleries is producing clearer spirit
now and the present bottled Hakushu malts
are products distilled with the stills with
purifieres.
The company started to treat the two distillery
buildings as one distillery "Hakushu'"
from the middle of 90's.
Hakushu has a nice visitor centre, shops and
a museum in the site.
Single malt whisky: Hakushu 10yo 40%, Hakushu 12yo 43%, Hakushu 18yo 43%
