主眼 Closer Look: Asaka Distillery

昔話 History

From 笹の川 酒造 - Sasanokawa Shuzo - a storied, old sake & shochu brewery celebrating 255 years of operation in 2020 comes some new expressions brought on by the whisky wave in Japan. The whole reason why they now have single malt whisky is actually an initiative they took on as a celebration of their 250th anniversary! The distillation could start in 2016 properly, and in the very late parts of 2019 their first Asaka Distillery single malts were bottled, just hitting 3 years of age. Though, they have produced whisky since the late 1940s making them technically the oldest Tohoku whisky distillery. No one can claim that they are rushing out the gate! Earlier casks than those filled in 2016 were primarily for blending, resulting in the Yamazakura brands and the 963 line. If you’ve drank a Japanese whisky referencing “Cherry” in the name, this is more than likely the culprit.

福 - Fortunate Opportunities?

The distillery is in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture… which might raise some eyebrows. It is definitely a contributing factor as to why Sasanokawa’s main brand - Yamazakura - isn’t a staple across Japan. But Koriyama is far away from the shoreline, and Sasanokawa has shown themselves to be a very resilient company across the generations.

The name of the brewing company refers to the Sasawara River running through Koriyama, having very clear snow from the Japanese mountains producing meltwater for Sasanokawa to draw on and support whisky production. It is a slightly more interesting pick for me than something like Miyagikyo (I still love the kanji on their labels though!) which also plays to the Tohoku region angle, and is part of the Nikka lineup. The name Sasanokawa literally means “bamboo grass river”, highlighting the purity they are looking for.

名物 - Claim to Fame

More importantly, they are a part of modern Japanese whisky history in actually allowing barrels used in the production of the revered Hanyu whiskies to be stored and maintained at their grounds for… well a lot of years. These barrels were then picked up by Akuto Ichiro-san - of Ichiro’s Malt fame - to launch his career. I’m willing to bet they know when they have something good on their hands, following traditions and instincts passed down through 10 generations of alcohol brewing. Hence an investment in their first broader sales distribution run at 1,500 bottles of single malt, at 50% ABV, with a ding to their name sounds like a great steal and I can’t wait to see what else this independent distillery has aging up in the mountains!

余韻 Finishing Note

What can we expect of this distillery? Their recent Yamazakura blends have a fresh, sharp, almost vegetable-leaning palate, with a clear younger whisky profile. Their single malts will likely come with a bit longer finishing notes, especially where the ABV creeps up post the 46% range. I think this distillery might be a bit slower to develop a strong nose, but I also need to get a hold of an older Yamazakura 963 blended to understand this part better from the distillery. It could be a neat fit for pouring into summer highballs, or delicate whisky cocktails where you are not looking for a whisky-forward drink. Likely to be better than its price for a while, given the discount likely being baked into this distillery in Japan for the foreseeable future.