Known as the ‘Forest Distillery’, Hakushu Distillery is located at a site known for the pristine waters of the Ojira River, which has been designated by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment as one of the highest-quality water sources in the country. The construction of the distillery, which is surrounded by expansive forest, was the culmination of a many-year search for a site that could best take advantage of Japan’s natural bounty in the process of making Japanese whisky. A willingness to experiment through a process of trial and error has led to the production of a remarkable variety of single malt whiskies at the facility, bringing to fruition the goal of creating a world-class whisky that would please the delicate Japanese palate. Hakushu Distillery, which produces Hakushu single malt whisky and an array of other world-renowned, high-quality whiskies, continues to pursue new whisky flavours and aromas in a beautiful natural setting.

●Coexisting with nature

Tasked with producing an original Whisky distinct from those originating at Yamazaki Distillery, Hakushu Distillery was built as Suntory’s another distillery in 1973 on the 50th anniversary of the 1923 start of construction at its sister facility. The distillery, which has created a rich variety of whiskies since its opening, is one of only a few distilleries in the world to be located at a forested, high-elevation site. Initiatives designed to coexist with the rich natural environment at the base of Mt. Kaikomagatake include setting aside about 820,000 square meters of forested land, protecting bird life by establishing a wild bird sanctuary, and working to protect forestland. The distillery, which has created a number of world-class, high-quality whiskies such as its single malt Hakushu label, continues to leave its mark on the history of whisky in Japan.

●Hakushu’s natural features and climate

After carving a path down through the rock of Mt. Kaikomagatake of the Southern Alps, clear-flowing rainwater joins the Ojira River and the Jingu River to form an alluvial fan of white sand at the foot of the mountain. The name ‘Hakushu’, which means ‘white sandbar’, reflects the geological character of the site. The clear air and cool, humid climate of Hakushu’s vast forests allow the distillery, one of only a few such facilities in the world to be located at an elevation of 700 meters or above, to produce high-quality whisky through a slow, unhurried process.

●The pristine waters of Hakushu

Water from the mountains is a gift from the gods, and indeed, the natural water of Hakushu could only be made through the mysterious workings of the great natural wilderness surrounding the site, which is known for the clear-flowing Ojira River, considered one of Japan’s 100 most exceptional sources of water. The soft water created as snow cover on the slopes of the Southern Alps that melts and seeps down through the area’s granite strata serves as the beginning of the malt whisky produced by Hakushu Distillery.

●Making single malt whiskies with a variety of characters

The real process of making single malt whisky begins with a procedure called mashing in which malt is ground into fine pieces and mixed with hot water in a tank called a mash tun. As starch in the mash is converted into sugar, the mixture is slowly filtered to create a clear liquid known as wort. Suntory produces whisky in Hakushu, an area that is blessed with exceptional natural water, precisely because the quality of the water used influences the flavour of the wort.

Next, the wort is transferred to a wash back, and yeast is added. The yeast generates alcohol, carbon dioxide gas, and congeners of flavour in a process known as fermentation. Since Suntory produces a variety of single malt whiskies, emphasis is placed on carefully selecting the yeast type that best suits the desired whisky flavour from our stock of thousands of strains. Hakushu Distillery uses wooden wash backs. Despite demanding temperature control requirements, wooden wash backs not only take advantage of the site’s natural bounty, but also help produce refreshing yet complex single malt whiskies through the action of the distillery’s naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria and other microorganism populations.

The wash produced during the fermentation process is distilled twice in rows of pot stills of different shapes and sizes. By using different stills, the distillery is able to produce a variety of whiskies with flavours ranging from light to full-bodied. Direct-fired distillation at a temperature of about 1,200°C creates an even greater range of flavour-contributing substances.

In this way, Hakushu Distillery’s use of a variety of processes and techniques from the mashing stage through distillation allows it to produce an array of single malt whiskies with a variety of characters.

Following distillation, whiskies are placed in casks and allowed to slumber in the distillery’s aging warehouse until it has mellowed. Even if the same batch of whisky is filled at the beginning, the outcome of the maturation differs depending on the type of casks filled with. Suntory uses casks of different shapes, sizes, and varieties of oak. The Hakushu distillery mainly uses Hogshead, which is suitable with the clear air and cool, humid climate.

●Creating a variety of flavours through skill of craftsman

Single malt whiskies such as Hakushu and Yamazaki are produced at a single distillery, while blended whiskies such as Hibiki and Royal are blended with grain whiskies made from grains such as corn and numerous single malt whiskies. Of central importance to Suntory’s ability to make whiskies with a variety of flavours are the various malt whiskies it produces as well as the exceptional skill of the company’s blenders, whose expertise is evident in the consistently high-quality flavour exhibited by Suntory’s entire product range.

The blender is a sort of a conductor of an orchestra who creates the harmony of flavour and aroma that is essential in whisky-making. He typically tastes anywhere from 200 to 400 component whiskies in a single day, selecting and combining them to bring out the characteristics of individual products and satisfy quality requirements, creating a fainal whisky in the process. The blender must be sensitive and perceptive, capable of predicting the characteristics of casks decades into the future, and possessed of extensive experience that allows him to judge precisely such factors as the month and year by which a specific whisky will have matured and the timing at which the whisky should be placed in a new cask. Finally, he must have the skill to create new products by combining component whiskies. Suntory’s blenders fulfil all of these criteria and continuously strive to improve the quality of its whiskies.

Hakushu Distillery has a legacy of creating a variety of whiskies thanks to a willingness to experiment through a process of trial and error while taking full advantage of the bounty of nature in the whisky-making process. In 2003, Yamazaki 12 Years Old became the first Japanese whisky to receive a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC), an influential international competition. Three years later in 2006, Hakushu 18 Years Old received another gold medal at the same event. Since then, the Hakushu series has won numerous awards at the ISC and other international competitions.

Hakushu single malt whisky, the prototypical Suntory whisky, delivers world-class quality, making it a milestone in the development of Japanese whisky and the embodiment of Suntory’s efforts to create a world-class whisky that would please the delicate Japanese palate.