Craft Japanese Whiskey If you want to know about a trip to Kagoshima to visit Kanosuke Distillery
To Kagoshima

Kagoshima is currently attracting attention from whiskey lovers around the world. Kagoshima Prefecture ranks first in Japan with 13 licensed whiskey manufacturing locations, and the number of small-scale whiskey distilleries is increasing. Several decades have passed since the high potential of Japanese whiskey was recognized around the world, and whiskey making seems to have entered a new phase. To learn about the current status of craft Japanese whisky, we headed to Kagoshima, the place where craft Japanese whiskey is currently the most passionate. I was invited on a trip to visit Kanosuke Distillery.

Craft Japanese Whiskey Current Location
To Kanosuke Distillery

From Kagoshima Airport, it takes about 40 minutes by car to Kanosuke Distillery in Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture. After passing through a mountain road, the distillery came into view on a slightly elevated spot on the west coast of the Satsuma Peninsula, overlooking the East China Sea. Facing Fukiagehama Beach, one of Japan's three major sand dunes, the East China Sea stretches out. Each facility is located on a vast land of 9,000 square meters, and a car slides in front of the stylish U-shaped main building.

Kanosuke Distillery is called a craft distillery, or a so-called small-scale distillery. Although it is a young distillery that started operations in 2017, it is already making a name for itself in the world, receiving high praise at whiskey competitions.

Authentic and unique
The charm of Kanosuke Distillery

Kanosuke Distillery has its origins in 2017 as a division of Kosho Jozo, a prestigious shochu brand, and then spun off into a separate company in 2021. Kagoshima is the land of shochu. In other words, it is the home of distilled spirits. You could say that his passion for making shochu has spread to his passion for making whisky. Kanosuke Distillery uses the techniques it has cultivated in shochu making to produce whiskey that exhibits the individuality that is unique to a craft distillery.

When you step into the manufacturing area, you are first surprised by the difference in temperature from outside. The production area is warm and slightly fragrant as the malt and heated brewing water are combined to saccharify. If you go further inside, you will find three pot stills. It is rare for a small distillery to have three pot stills. If you look closely, you will notice that the accuracy of the top of the pot, the neck, and the line arm are different. By using pots of different shapes, it is possible to make a wide variety of unblended sake.

The next thing we toured was the storage room. In addition to new barrels, they also use sherry barrels, bourbon barrels, and even wine barrels. There are 200 barrels in the distillery. In addition, they have used a nearby closed elementary school as storage space, and have a total of about 5,000 barrels.

Tasting at a bar overlooking Fukiage Beach

As dusk approaches Fukiage Beach, the tour concludes with a tasting at THE MELLOW BAR. In front of the counter are East China Sea and whiskeys prepared for tasting. On this day, the tasting navigator was Yoshitsugu Komasa, president of Kanosuke Distillery. He will serve as representative director and master blender. Kanosuke is his grandfather's name. In the 50s, he was also the creator of the rice shochu ``Mellow Kozuru,'' which led to the first shochu boom. The land for the Kanosuke Distillery was originally acquired by Mr. Kanosuke as a place to spread shochu culture.

I decided to try it right away. ``Single Malt Kanosuke'', ``Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL'', ``Kanosuke DOUBLE DISTILLERY'', and ``Mellow Kozuru'', a rice shochu that can be said to be the origin of Kanosuke Distillery, are also poured into the glass. ``Single Malt Kanosuke'' is characterized by a subtle smokiness and sweetness that spreads through your mouth. ``Kanosuke HIOKI POT STILL'' is an elegant expression of sweet baked goods and refreshing citrus fruits. ``Kanosuke DOUBLE DISTILLERY'' has an elegant aroma of spices that immediately enters your nostrils, with a beautiful sweet and bitter aftertaste. And “Mellow-crowned Crane”. I was surprised at how deep and mellow the flavor was, comparable to the three whiskeys I tasted earlier.

500 years of shochu making techniques
Expressing to the world through whisky-making

This distillery is the closest to the sea in Japan. ``Since it's by the sea, I had the idea that a peated whiskey like Speyside or Islay might also go well with it.However, I thought about what kind of whiskey would be unique to Kanosuke, and the first thing that came to my mind was Ampee. It was Ted whisky. Kanosuke's whiskey wants to express the flavor that is hidden behind the peated flavor," says Komasa.

After joining Komasa Jozo, Mr. Komasa devoted himself to making shochu, and also focused on expanding overseas. The export of shochu has not changed for the past 20 years, and the reason for this is that there is no alcohol in the shochu category overseas, so it has been difficult to develop sales channels. However, shochu is a distilled spirit, just like whisky. If whiskey is a world language, then we should be able to challenge ourselves. Kagoshima is the land of shochu. We pour our 500 years of shochu-making skills and passion into making whisky, and express it to the world. It was a trip to Kagoshima where I was able to learn about the whiskey of Kanosuke Distillery, which has such spirit.

The latest address in Kagoshima city to enjoy Kanosuke whiskey

After touring the Kanosuke Distillery, you'll want to return to Kagoshima City and enjoy some whiskey with your meal. Let's introduce two stores that have a wide selection of Kanosuke whiskey.

If you come to Kagoshima, this is an authentic bar you should check out.
BB13 BAR

An authentic bar boasted by a prestigious hotel in Kagoshima
The Cellar N Baron Nagasawa