Shizuoka Pot Still K Single Malt, Japanese Barley First Edition

Founded in 2016 by Taiko Nakamura the Shizuoka Distillery is located in the Shizuoka’s Okuzashiki “Oku-Siz” region, on the Nakakouchi River surrounded by nature.

Underground water flows from the Japanese Southern Alps and moistens this land, eventually transforming into the great Abe River, flowing into Suruga Bay. The first distillate was produced in October 2016 and casked in December of that year. The distillery is owned by renowned whisky importer Gaia Flow whose imports include the brands Blackadder and Amrut. It was designed by an American architect living in Shizuoka, Derek Buston, with the intention that it should not be a traditional Scottish-style distillery.

A few fun facts. Shizuoka Distillery is famous for its unique pot stills. The whisky is distilled twice in the world’s only wood-fired, direct-heat still. The firewood is sourced from lumber forests in Tamakawa via Tamakawa Kicori, a lumberyard in Shizuoka City. It’s then split into firewood and dried on-site at the distillery.

Shizuoka also has a smaller wash still formerly used at the iconic, but now defunct, Karuizawa Distillery.