SHIZUOKA POT STILL W Japanese Barley 1st Edition Single Malt Whisky
SHIZUOKA POT STILL W Japanese Barley 1st Edition Single Malt Whisky
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Made with 100% domestically grown barley
Pot Still W is a single wash still whisky, made solely from the distillate produced by Shizuoka's initial distillation machine, Pot Still W. Japanese Barley 1st Edition marks the first bottling that uses 100% domestically grown barley malt as its raw material. Since its operation began in 2016, the Shizuoka Distillery has been brewing using domestic barley malt. While domestic malt is more expensive than foreign malt, it produces a delicate and sweet flavor. Please enjoy this Japanese whisky, a harmonious blend of the smoothness of direct wood fire and the lightness of Japanese barley.
There are only a limited number of direct-fire distillers worldwide, and among them, wood-fired distillers are unique. Local woodcutters split the thinned coniferous trees that overflow from the rich mountains of Shizuoka into firewood. Reviving distilling techniques from over 200 years ago, this whisky was distilled by burning wood. Today, most of the malt whiskies made worldwide do not specify the origin of barley. However, there is a rising demand for Distillers to use locally sourced ingredients. For this 100% Japanese Barley First Edition, Shizuoka prepares whiskey separately for each barley production area and makes whiskey that allows you to feel the terroir.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
2024
World Whisky Awards -GOLD and Category Winner in the No Age Statement Small Batch Single Malt category for Japan
Distillery Highlights
The Red Malt Mill, which pulverizes the malted barley, is a vintage mill that was manufactured in England in 1989. It was previously used at the now-legendary Karuizawa Distillery.
The ten washbacks divide into four made with Douglas Fir and six from locally grown cedar. These are the first fermenters made in Japan and it makes Shizuoka Whisky Distillery the only one in the world to use cedar. Nakamura-san was inspired by the traditional use of cedar in sake fermentation. Their washbacks are made by the only traditional craftsmen left who know how to make them, Fuji Seiokesho from Osaka.
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.
Aged in ex-bourbon barrels and influenced by the temperature changes in Shizuoka, the whisky matures more rapidly than distilleries with a more stable climate.
DISTILLERY STORY
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 an abundance of 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 Whisky is slowly aging in this natural surrounding, with the animals breathing and the blessings of the beautiful nature that moves with the seasons.
The first distillate was produced in October 2016 and casked in December that year.
The distillery is owned by renowned whisky importer Gaia Flow who imports include the brands Blackadder and Amrut. It was designed by American architect living in Shizuoka, Derek Buston, with the intention that it should not be a traditional Scottish style distillery.
YOUTUBE VIDEO - Tour the Distillery
