Yamazakura Asaka The First

Sasanokawa Shuzo (Bamboo-River Brewing) have been producing Sochu and Sake since 1710, they started whisky production in 1946 at Yamazakura distillery in Koriyama city—the distillery was mothballed in 1998. The Akuto family (who owned Toa Shuzo and was releasing blended malt whisky from their Hanyu distillery vatted with Scotch from Aberlour distillery, and bottled under the Golden Horse brand) sold their Hanyu stock to Sasanokawa in 2000 who stored this whisky in their barrelhouse with their own ageing stock. Ichiro Akuto brought back most of this stock to release as the first Ichiro’s malt – the now infamous card series. In 2015 the company decided to convert a Sake storage warehouse into a whisky distillery, using a Sake fermentation tank as a washback. The only equipment purchased new were their pot stills and mash tun. In 2016, it officially launched as the Asaka Distillery. In 2022 Asaka Yamazakura Sherry Wood Reserve 2022 was awarded 'Best Blended Malt Whisky in the World'.