Whisky Distilleries in Japan
83 distilleries · 186 expressions documented · distilling here since 1883
Hokkaido · Tohoku · Shikoku & Okinawa · Kanto · Chubu · Chugoku · Kyushu · Kansai
- Akkeshi Located in the foggy, coastal town of Akkeshi in eastern Hokkaido, deliberately chosen for its resemblance to Islay's cl…
- Asaka New distillery built by Sasanokawa Shuzo, one of Japan's oldest whisky license holders (1946). Located at the foot of Mt…
- Awano First whisky distillery on Shikoku island and in Tokushima Prefecture. Established at the premises of Taiko Shuzojo, a s…
- Benizakura (Hokkaido Liberty Whisky) Craft distillery in Benizakura Park, one of Sapporo's oldest traditional Japanese gardens, founded 2018. Initially a gin…
- Chichibu Founded by Ichiro Akuto, grandson of the Hanyu distillery founder, after the family's original distillery closed. Tiny b…
- Chichibu Daini (Chichibu II) Venture Whisky's second malt distillery, located 600m from the original Chichibu Distillery in Midorigaoka Industrial Pa…
- Chita Suntory's grain whisky distillery on the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture. Produces three distinct grain whisky types…
- Chiyomusubi (Sakaiminato) Sake and shochu brewery founded 1864 in Tottori Prefecture, now producing Western-style whisky at the Sakaiminato Distil…
- Di Tripper (Behind the Cask) Independent bottler Behind the Cask's own grain whisky distillery in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Named 'Di' after Commodore Perr…
- DreamLink Akita Planned distillery by restaurant chain DreamLink in suburbs of Akita City, on 38,500 sq m site including former Iwami El…
- Fugaku Located in Fujiyoshida City at the northern foot of Mt. Fuji, within Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. 10,000 sq m site at …
- Fuji Gotemba Massive distillery at the foot of Mt. Fuji, uniquely producing both malt and grain whisky on one site. Originally a join…
- Fuji Hokuroku Located in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo. Founded 2020, produces both malt and grain whisky. N…
- Fuji Kaguya Whisky distillery licensed in 2020 within the s_pl@tt FUJISPARK sports resort facility near Mount Fuji. Parent company o…
- Furaliss Major new distillery planned for Furano, Hokkaido. Name combines 'Furano' + 'bliss'. Joint venture between KDI and Seibu…
- Furaliss Distillery Karuizawa Distillers second distillery, announced June 2025, to be built in Furano City, Hokkaido on land owned by the S…
- Gakkogawa Sake brewery turned whisky producer in Yuza-cho, Yamagata Prefecture, near Mt. Chokai and the Sea of Japan. Founded by J…
- Hakushu Suntory's 'forest distillery' nestled at 700m elevation in the Southern Japanese Alps, surrounded by dense forest. Known…
- Hanyu (Revival) Revival of the legendary Hanyu Distillery on its original site in Hanyu City. Original distillery ceased operations 2000…
- Helios Okinawa's most iconic spirits producer, founded in 1961. Holds six production licenses (awamori, spirits, whisky, liqueu…
- Hikari Founded by Malaysian entrepreneur Eric Chhoa, about an hour from Tokyo. Licensed spring 2020. Distilling season runs lat…
- Hinokami Whisky distillery by Satsuma Shuzo (part of the Hombo Group, which also owns Mars Tsunuki). Began whisky production 2023…
- Hioki (Komasa Jyozo) Historic Kagoshima shochu producer (since 1883) that received grain whisky license in 2020. Sister distillery to Kanosuk…
- Hishida Whisky division of Tensei Shuzo, a shochu brewery founded in 1901 on the Osumi Peninsula. Uses a copper hybrid still cap…
- IJW Chitose Massive planned distillery by US-based IJW Whiskey in Chitose, Hokkaido, on former Chitose Outlet Mall Rera parking lot …
- Ikawa Highest-sitting whisky distillery in Japan at 1,200m altitude in the Southern Alps, Shizuoka Prefecture. Parent company …
- Kaikyo Located near Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture on the Seto Inland Sea. Named after the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. Expansion of the A…
- Kamiki (Soni) First whisky distillery in Nara Prefecture, located in Soni Village — renowned as a starting point of the Yamato Kingdom…
- Kamui (Rishiri) Japan's northernmost distillery, on remote volcanic Rishiri Island in the Sea of Japan. Founded by Casey Wahl. Stills ha…
- Kanosuke Oceanfront distillery in Hioki, Kagoshima, founded by traditional shochu maker Komasa Jyozo. Named after founder Kanosuk…
- Karuizawa (New) Revival of the legendary Karuizawa whisky brand at a new distillery in the town of Karuizawa itself (the original was in…
- Kitakaruizawa Located at 1,100m altitude in Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Prefecture. Construction completed March 2023, whiskey license May 202…
- Kiyokawa (Iiyama Mountain Farm Distillery) Farm-to-bottle grain-to-glass distillery tucked in the Japanese Alps at Iiyama, Nagano Prefecture. Renamed from Iiyama M…
- Kizakura Tamba Located in Tamba Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture at ~300m altitude surrounded by Tamba Forest. Operated by Kizakura, a belove…
- Kobe Started operation October 14, 2022. Surrounded by mountains with large temperature differences and high humidity ideal f…
- Komoro Japan's most anticipated new distillery, located at the foot of Mount Asama at 910m elevation in Nagano Prefecture. Foun…
- Kuju Located at 600m altitude in the Kuju highlands, Taketa City, Oita Prefecture. Founded by Shoji Utoda, creator of Whisky …
- Kurabuchi Located in Kurabuchi Town, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. Operated by Makino Sake Brewery, founded 1690 on the Kusatsu…
- Kurayoshi (Matsui) Located in Kurayoshi City in the foothills of Mt. Daisen, Tottori Prefecture. Matsui Shuzo founded 1910 as shochu maker,…
- Mars Shinshu Japan's highest-altitude whisky distillery at 798m in the Central Alps of Nagano. Originally built in 1985, shuttered fr…
- Masahiro One of Okinawa's oldest and largest distilleries (140+ years), primarily known for awamori. Received whisky license in 2…
- mitosaya Botanical distillery in Otaki-machi, Chiba Prefecture, built on a defunct 16,000 sq m prefectural medicinal herb garden.…
- Miyagikyo Taketsuru's second distillery, built in a forested valley where the Nikkawa and Hirose rivers meet. Uses indirect steam-…
- Moji Nikka's Moji Plant in Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. Originally a shochu facility producing 'Kanoka' barley shochu, began…
- Nagahama Japan's smallest whisky distillery, converted from a craft brewery on the shores of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. Tiny …
- Nanbu Bijin Craft Distillery Iwate Prefecture's first whisky distillery, built 2023 on the grounds of the historic Nanbu Bijin sake brewery (establis…
- Niigata Kameda First authentic whisky distillery in Niigata Prefecture. Located at 1-3-5 Kameda Kogyo Danchi, Konan-Ward, Niigata City.…
- Nikko Kaido Oyama First whisky distillery in Tochigi Prefecture, established spring 2022. Built within the Nishibori Sake Brewery, a regis…
- Niseko Japanese whisky distillery established by famed sake maker Hakkaisan, who obtained a whisky license in 2016. Constructio…
- Nozawa Onsen Opened December 2022 in the heart of Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano Prefecture, in a historic refurbished canning factory.…
- Nukada Craft whisky distillery from the renowned Kiuchi Brewery (makers of Hitachino Nest Beer). Located in a renovated sake br…
- Okayama (Miyashita Shuzo) Micro-distillery operated by Miyashita Sake Brewery (founded 1915). Whisky license granted in 2011. One of Japan's small…
- Ontake Whisky distillery at the southernmost tip of mainland Japan in Makurazaki, Kagoshima. Created by Satsuma shochu maker Ni…
- Oriental Kanazawa Distillery (Yuwaku) First whisky distillery in Ishikawa Prefecture. Founded by craft beer maker Oriental Brewing (est. 2016). Whisky license…
- Osuzuyama Whisky distillery from Kuroki Honten, a prestigious Miyazaki shochu maker. Situated in mountainous terrain at elevation …
- Rokkosan Micro-distillery established 2021 in the Rokko forest at 800-931 meters altitude overlooking Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Use…
- Saburomaru Hokuriku region's only whisky distillery. Originally built in 1952, fell silent for years, then relaunched in 2016 with …
- Sakuranosato (Inoue Distillery) Hot-spring town distillery in Kitagou-cho, Nichinan, Miyazaki, established 1994 as expansion of the original 1894 Inoue …
- Sakurao Distillery in Hatsukaichi near Hiroshima, close to the famous Miyajima shrine island. Evolved from a century-old spirits…
- Sakurao Distillery Forest Site Sakurao B&D's second whisky distillery, officially named 'Sakurao Distillery Forest Site'. Located in the mountainous Yo…
- Sato Shochu Works (Chihaya) Century-old shochu maker (founded 1905) that entered the Japanese whisky scene with Chihaya — meaning 'a thousand breeze…
- Satsuma Tsukasa Nikka's grain whisky operation in Kajiki Town, Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Originally founded 1936 as Ai Sake Brewe…
- Sawamachi New distillery in the Yoichi area of Hokkaido, operated by Rita Farm & Winery. Production began 2024. Uses mainly German…
- Shindo (Shinozaki) Fukuoka Prefecture's first whisky distillery, established by Shinozaki, a family sake and shochu maker with 200+ years o…
- Shinobu First whisky-licensed distillery in Niigata City, founded by Ken Usami who also established Niigata Beer craft brewery o…
- Shinzato Shuzo (Suzaki) Okinawa's oldest awamori distillery (founded 1846, whisky license 2021). Japan's southernmost whisky distillery. Produce…
- Shizuoka Modern craft distillery in Shizuoka city featuring two distinct pot stills: a wood-fired 'K' still salvaged from the dem…
- Shonan (Kumazawa) Kanagawa Prefecture's only whisky distillery, founded by the last remaining sake brewery in the Shonan region. Licensed …
- Takazo Revival of a whisky legacy in Ibaraki Prefecture. Original distillery founded 1952 by Takazo Kato but destroyed by fire,…
- Takebe Orimono (Nanao/Noto) First whisky distillery in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. Established by Takebe Orimono, a textile business piv…
- Tenkyo First whisky distillery in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. Located at the foot of Mount Bandai near the Bandai …
- Tokachi New distillery planned for Tokachi region, Hokkaido. Joint venture between liquor importers Scotch Malt Sales and Shinan…
- Tomakomai (Venture Whisky) Ichiro Akuto's massive new grain whisky distillery, commenced operations January 2026. At 2.4M LPA capacity, it dwarfs t…
- Tsunuki Hombo Shuzo's second malt whisky distillery, located near the company's shochu headquarters in southern Kagoshima. Japan…
- Ume Bijin Shuzo Second whisky distillery on Shikoku island, located in Yawatahama City, Ehime Prefecture. Sake brewery since the Edo per…
- White Oak (Eigashima) One of Japan's oldest whisky license holders (1919), though primarily a sake and shochu producer. Whisky distillation is…
- Yamaga First whisky distillery in Kumamoto Prefecture. Completed November 2021, opened March 2022. Located at 980-1 Kaomachi Ai…
- Yamazaki Japan's first and oldest malt whisky distillery, founded by Shinjiro Torii in the Vale of Yamazaki near Kyoto. Uses an e…
- Yasato Built at the foot of Mount Tsukuba in Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Operated by Kiuchi Brewery (est. 1823), famous f…
- Yatsugo Whisky distillery at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba, established 2020 by Kiuchi Shuzo — the 1823-founded sake brewery famous fo…
- Yoichi Founded by Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese whisky, who chose this Hokkaido coastal town for its similarity to…
- Yoshida Denzai Japan's first dedicated independent craft grain whisky distillery. Founded by a precision equipment manufacturer (est. 1…
- Yuza Distillery on the slopes of Mt. Chokai (Bird Sea Mountain) in Yamagata Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan. Extreme temp…