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

Leaving the city of Sendai and heading towards Sakunami on National Route 48, you will come across a whiskey distillery on the banks of the beautiful Shinkawa River

This is the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery

This whiskey factory was established in 1969 by Masataka Taketsuru, who wanted to make authentic whiskey in Japan.
Surrounded by the lush nature of Sakunami, the factory produces malt whiskey with a gorgeous and elegant taste.

This time, we will introduce the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery, which continues to make Masataka Taketsuru's dream a reality

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Distillery Tour

Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery. The factory site covers an area of ​​180,000 square meters

The site, which is the size of four Tokyo Domes, has been designed with various features to maintain the feeling of being in the middle of nature, such as electric wires being buried in the ground. The retro atmosphere of the building blends in with the surrounding nature, creating a beautiful landscape that will make you want to take photos

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Visitor Center

Registration for guided distillery tours is at the visitor center, which also serves as a waiting room as tours are held every 30 minutes

Since reopening in March 2017, you can learn how whiskey is made and experience the different aromas, so it's a great place to enjoy yourself

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Kiln building

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

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

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Preparation building

In the brewing building, the malt is crushed and the process of saccharification and fermentation takes place

The mash produced here has an alcohol concentration of 8%, which is surprisingly low, but this is because it is distilled later using heat

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Distillery building

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

The sacred rope at the top of the pot still embodies Masataka Taketsuru's belief that "sake is not made by humans, but by nature," and expresses gratitude to nature

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The actual pot still used at the time

An authentic 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

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storage facility

This is where the distilled liquid is stored in barrels. Barrels are lined up on rails laid on the ground

The whiskey base in the barrel evaporates at a rate of about 2% per year, which is called the "angel's share" because it is lost in exchange for adding depth to the flavor

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Guest Hall

The tour ends in the guest hall where you can enjoy tastings

After learning about the blender's work, the final step in whiskey-making, through a video, it's time for tasting. Here, you can compare three types of whiskey: 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 however you like. Personally, I preferred drinking Super Nikka as a highball

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

After the tasting, you can choose a souvenir from the shop. The whiskey sold only in Miyagikyo makes a perfect souvenir

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

Only available on weekends and holidays, we also offer a tour where you can enjoy a tasting seminar of limited edition whiskey (1,000 yen per person (tax included))

You can apply online for the 10am morning session and the 2pm afternoon session, so if you'd like to try these, please check the website

Miyagikyo Distillery <Information>

• Name: Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery
• Address: 1 Nikka, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, 989-3433
• Phone number: 022-395-2111
• Official URL: http://www.nikka.com/

Google Map

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