[Miyagi Prefecture] You can also try tasting! ? Distillery tour of Nikka Whiskey Miyagikyo Distillery that you can enjoy for free!

Chimon
2017.06.28
Last updated: 2023.07.26

table of contents

1 Distillery tour

Leaving the city of Sendai and driving along National Route 48 towards Sakunami. There is a whiskey distillery on the banks of the beautiful water source called Shinkawa.

This is Nikka Whiskey Miyagikyo Distillery.

This whiskey factory was founded in 1969 by Masataka Taketsuru, who wanted to make authentic whiskey in Japan.
The malt whiskey with a gorgeous and elegant taste is made in a factory surrounded by the rich nature of Sakunami.

This time, we will introduce Nikka Whiskey Miyagikyo Distillery, which continues to make Masataka Taketsuru's dreams come true.

Distillery tour

Nikka Whiskey Miyagikyo Distillery. The factory site area is 180,000 square meters.

The site, which is the size of four Tokyo Domes, has been designed in various ways to give the impression that it is in the middle of nature, such as electric cables buried in the ground. The beautiful scenery where the retro atmosphere of the building blends in with nature will make you want to take a photo.

Visitor Center

Registration for guided tours of the distillery is available at the Visitor Center. Tours are held every 30 minutes, so the visitor center also serves as a waiting room.

Since reopening in March 2017, you can learn how to make whiskey and experience the different aromas, so you can have a lot of fun just here.

Kiln building

This is a building for drying germinated malt. The malt is smoked with peat in this kiln building, giving it its unique aroma.

Although this building is not currently in use, the kiln building still watches over the factory as a symbol of Miyagikyo Distillery.

Preparation building

In the brewing building, the malt is crushed, saccharified, and fermented.

The moromi made here has an alcohol concentration of 8%. The alcohol concentration is surprisingly low, but this is because it is distilled later with heat.

Distillery building

Here, the mash is distilled in a uniquely shaped structure called a pot still.

The shimenawa rope above the pot still embodies Masataka Taketsuru's philosophy that ``Sake is not made by humans, but by nature,'' and expresses appreciation for nature.

Actual pot stills used at the time

A real pot still that was actually used at the Yoichi Distillery is displayed as an object at the Miyagikyo Distillery. This pot still was also used during the filming of Massan.

storage

This is where the distilled liquid is stored in barrels. Rails are laid on top of the soil, and barrels are lined up on top of the rails for storage.

The whiskey base in the barrel evaporates and decreases by about 2% per year. It is called ``angel's share'' because it loses depth at the cost of adding depth to the flavor.

guest hall

The tour ends at a guest hall where you can enjoy tastings.

After watching the video and learning about the final process of making whisky, the blender's job, it was time for the tasting. Here you can taste and compare three types of alcohol: ``Taketsuru Pure Malt,'' ``Super Nikka,'' and ``Apple Wine.''

You can choose to drink it with water, on the rocks, or as a highball, so you can enjoy it the way you like. Personally, my favorite was Super Nikka in a highball.

Of course, soft drinks are also available for those who have driven by car.

After tasting, you can choose souvenirs at the shop. The whiskey sold exclusively at Miyagi Gorge also makes a great souvenir.

You can also sample high-quality whiskey at the paid tasting counter.

On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only, we also accept tours (1,000 yen/person (tax included)) where you can enjoy tasting seminars on limited-edition whiskeys.

You can apply online for the 10:00 a.m. session and the 2:00 p.m. session, so if you would like to enjoy this, please check the website