Distillery Thursday: Asaka, the Distillery Behind Yamazakura

Whisky is shaped by many elements: the water, the soil where the grain grows, and the wood of the casks. At the Yamazakura distillery, the wind also plays a leading role. In this Distillery Thursday we head to the Land of the Rising Sun and dive into the rich history of this Japanese distillery, which stretches back several centuries.

The story of the Yamazakura Distillery takes us far, far back in time. In 1710, a small brewery was founded south of Lake Inawashiro in Japan. This brewery made sasa, Japanese sake, following a traditional Yamaguchi family recipe.

In 1742, the Sasanokawa Shuzo brewery was set to move. At its new location, the brewery continued small-scale sake production under the leadership of Tetsui Monetmo and grew in popularity. This momentum led to the founding of Yamaguchi Sake Brewery Co. in 1920 and the establishment of Yamazakura Sake Brewing Limited Partnership Company in 1932.

Not long after, they received a license to produce synthetic sake, much needed due to a rice shortage in Japan. After all, rice is a key ingredient in the national drink. Western culture was increasingly influencing Japan, sparking the idea to produce whisky alongside sake.

It wasn’t until 1946 that the Sasanokawa Shuzo brewery received a license to produce whisky. In the years that followed, they also obtained a license for shochu and, under a Western-style license, were allowed to distill other spirits such as gin and vodka. There was still no whisky on the market yet, even though they were permitted to distill it.

Meanwhile, the company moved to a new site in Fukushima, where in the 1970s it finally released its first whisky from cask: Cherry EX. This blended whisky was bottled at 40% ABV and sold in 500-milliliter bottles.

The whisky quickly became one of the better-known Japanese bottlings, alongside releases from Mars and Toa. Then another crisis struck, not rice this time, but whisky. Or more accurately, a collapse in demand. Several distilleries were forced to close, and Japanese whisky fell into a deep slump.

The Hanyu distillery of Ichiro Akuto was among the casualties. Tetsueo Yamaguchi, then director of Sasanokawa, decided to help. He arranged for 400 casks from his friend’s warehouse to be stored in one of Sasanokawa’s facilities until 2008.

In the meantime, Akuto was able to establish a new distillery, one you likely know: Chichibu. And those casks Yamaguchi safeguarded? They became the bottles you might recognize as Ichiro’s Malt. It forged an unbreakable bond and put a spotlight on Sasanokawa. More importantly, it inspired Yamaguchi to set up a distillery of his own.

In 2016, on the 250th anniversary of Sasanokawa Shuzo, the moment arrived: the Asaka Distillery opened its doors just a stone’s throw from the brewery. The 390-square-meter building had previously served as a storage facility for Sasanokawa sake, but was completely transformed into a distillery.

Behind two enormous black doors lies the Japanese distillery, equipped with two pot stills and a wash tun, plus on-site cask storage. The water of life is distilled here just 150 days a year by a team of four. They craft Japan’s liquid elixir in a traditional, artisanal way, with regular training from the team at the Chichibu distillery.

The whisky distilled at Asaka is known as Yamazakura: a name that nods to the distillery’s home. The first half, “Yama,” means mountain and points to nearby Mount Bandai, a stratovolcano. The second half, “zakura,” pays tribute to the cherry blossoms of the Tohoku region.

Yamazakura whisky is made with meltwater from the mountains, remarkably pure and ideal for distilling. To draw more flavor into the spirit, distillation is maintained at a minimum of 70 degrees, after which the corn-based distillate matures in ex-bourbon casks from the Heaven Hill distillery, as well as sherry and mizunara casks.

One crucial element in maturation comes from an unexpected source: Bandai Oroshi, the regional wind, helps accelerate aging and infuses the whisky with deeper aromas.

The magic of these elements comes together in a range of expressions released over the years. The most recent include Yamazakura Blended Malt, Yamazakura Peated Blended Malt, and the flagship Yamazakura Asaka Single Malt. In 2022, the distillery even took home the title of “World’s Best Blended Malt” at the World Whiskies Awards for its blended.

For Yamazakura blended whisky, the team uses, among others, Asaka whisky distilled from corn. This dram carries no age statement but matured for at least three years in ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso, and ex-Pedro Ximénez casks. The result is a soft, fruity whisky with notes of pear, caramel, and vanilla.

The peated version of the Japanese blend follows a similar path, but brings a touch of smoke that will appeal to lovers of peat. Asaka Distillery’s signature whisky is the eponymous single malt: Yamazakura Asaka. Released in limited quantities, it offers aromas of malt and citrus on the nose, followed by floral tones, lemon, and vanilla on the palate.

Whichever whisky from the Asaka distillery you pour, they all share one thing: they’re born of centuries of knowledge, craft, friendship, and passion.

Photos: Asaka Distillery