Whiskey in Kyoto


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In this page, we will introduce an inspection of Suntory Yamazaki Distillery and the whiskeys which are brewed there, Yamazaki 12 years and Suntory Yamazaki Distillery, various kinds of malt whiskeys are brewed. We would like to explain Yamazaki 12years and Hibiki among the whiskeys.

Yamazaki 12 years: This whiskey is made from pure malts which are made in Yamazaki and natural water which flows in Yamazaki. It tastes a little hot. I can't personally drink it "on the rocks".

Hibiki: This whiskey is also made from pure malts of Yamazaki. It is very soft to drink, so you should take care not to drink too much.


Secondly, we will introduce a report about the inspection of Suntory Yamazaki Distillery.

Address: 1023-1, Oaza Yamazaki, Shimamoto-cho, Mishima-gun, Osaka
Telephone: 075-962-1423
You can arrive there toward west about 10 minutes on foot from JR Yamazaki station.
*If you hope that you visit there, you need an appointment by telephone in advance. At this factory, they don't brew on Sundays. If you want to see the brewing process, you should visit on weekdays.

Well, when you arrive there, you go to the reception desk, get the pamphlet and learn the history of Suntory in the waiting room until the inspection. Then a guide comes and take you into the factory. Well, let's inspect Suntory Yamazaki Distillery together.

First, you will see the process of making malts. Here, they have barley absorb some water and germinate. After the process, they burn some peat to have smells and not to germinate yet.

Secondly, you can see the process called shikomi in Japanese. They put the malts, which are broken into pieces, into hot water. Then, the water changes into sweet juice. The juice has no alcohol.

Thirdly, the process you will see is that they filter and ferment the juice. This process is very important for whiskey to decide the rank of whiskey. They distill various kinds of whiskey in this distillery.

Fourthly, they distill 'moromi' which has finished fermenting. Distillation is done twice. Only the good part of the water which have finished distilling twice can be whiskey.

Finally, you can see the whiskeys which are in barrels. There are some kinds of whiskeys which are made in various years and of course the whiskeys in this year. After the inspection, you can try to drink the whiskey made in this Suntory Yamazaki Distillery.

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This page is produced by Hiroshi Shido