Report from the first whisky event in Tohoku, "Whiskey Collection Koriyama"! [Fukushima Prefecture]

Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its establishment as a city in 2024

In this commemorative year, the first-ever whiskey event in the Tohoku region,"Whisky Collection Koriyama,"was held in the area.

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Koriyama City celebrates its 100th anniversary, and Japanese whiskey celebrates its 101st!

Japan's first malt whisky distillery, the Yamazaki Distillery, was started in 1923 (Taisho 12) by Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Kotobukiya Co., Ltd. (now Suntory Holdings Limited),in Yamazaki, on the border between Osaka and Kyoto prefectures.

Since then, it has continued to support the foundation of Japan's whisky culture, and in 2023 it will celebrate the milestone of 100 years since its creation

Japanese whisky has now risen to the status of one of the world's top five whisky brands, and the number of domestic whisky distilleries, such as Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery, and Nikka Whisky's Yoichi Distillery and Miyagikyo Distillery, has rapidly increased to over 110 by 2024, including those currently planned

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The first whiskey event in the Tohoku region, "Whiskey Collection Koriyama"

The "Whisky Collection Koriyama," the first whisky event in the Tohoku region,will be held at Hotel Hamatsu in Koriyama City for two days, October 26th (pre-event) and 27th, 2024, welcoming 39 exhibitors from across Japan, including distilleries, importers, event organizers, and restaurants.

List of Exhibitors(in no particular order)

1. Acorn Co., Ltd.(Saitama Prefecture)
2. Whisky Culture Institute(Tokyo)
3. Kizakura Co., Ltd.(Kyoto Prefecture)
4. Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery(Shizuoka Prefecture)
5. Kiuchi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.(Ibaraki Prefecture)
6. Single Cask Japan x Asaya Shoten(Kanagawa Prefecture/Saitama Prefecture)
7. Chichibu Whisky Festival(Saitama Prefecture)
8. Nagahama Roman Beer, Nagahama Distillery(Shiga Prefecture)
9. Nagoya BAR Nonpeet & Rosebank(Aichi Prefecture)
10. Hokkaido WHISKY & SPIRITS(Hokkaido)
11. Marc Page(Tokyo)
12. Asahi Breweries, Ltd.(Tokyo)
13. Aloha x Whisuki(Tokyo)
14. Whiskey Lovers Nagoya Executive Committee(Aichi Prefecture)
15. Wine and Whisky BaPhare by Vin et Bonheur(Miyagi Prefecture)
16. Kimura Co., Ltd.(Hiroshima Prefecture)
17. Kanosuke Distillery(Kagoshima Prefecture)
18. SAKURAO BREWERY & DISTILLERY(Hiroshima Prefecture)
19. Shinjuku Whisky Salon x Saki Glass(Tokyo)
20. BAR fishborn(Hokkaido)
21. Venture Whisky Co., Ltd.(Saitama Prefecture)
22. Umaoi Distillery(Hokkaido)
23. Yuza Distillery(Yamagata Prefecture)
24. RUDDER LTD./THE ULTIMATE SPIRITS(Tokyo)
25. Liquors Hasegawa Main Store(Tokyo)
26. Crea Life Partners Co., Ltd.(Tokyo)
27. Dear WHISKY(Tokyo)
28. Fukushima Prefecture Minami Sake Sales Co., Ltd.(Fukushima Prefecture)
29. Niigata Kameda Distillery / Yoshida Electric Materials Distillery(Niigata Prefecture)
30. Highlander Inn(Tokyo)
31. Scotch Malt Sales Co., Ltd.(Tokyo)
32. Kataoka Bussan(Tokyo)
33. MIZUNARA: In TOKYO(Tokyo)
34. Miyake Seisakusho(Tokyo)
35. Sasanokawa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.(Fukushima Prefecture)
36. Ariake Sangyo Co., Ltd.(Kyoto Prefecture)
37. Honbo Shuzo Co., Ltd.(Kagoshima Prefecture)
38. Bar MILLESIMES(Miyagi Prefecture)
39. HIROMI ENTERPRISE CO.,LTD. / emu(Tokyo and Fukushima Prefectures)

Each booth offered various activities, including free whisky tastings, paid tastings of vintage and rare whiskies, business introductions from each company, and event promotions. On the main stage, various open seminars were held, such as a presentation on distillation equipment including pot stills by Miyake Seisakusho (Tokyo) , a manufacturer of distillation equipment; the importance of barrels and behind-the-scenes stories of barrel manufacturing by Ariake Sangyo (Kyoto) , Japan's only independent barrel manufacturer ; and an introduction to the British malt manufacturer "Crisp" by Kataoka Bussan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)

The highlight of the event was a talk session between Ichiro Hito of the Chichibu Distillery in Saitama Prefecture, famous for "Ichiro's Malt," a Japanese whisky with many fans around the world, and Tetsuzo Yamaguchi of the Asaka Distillery in Koriyama, the local area . Many whisky fans were seen asking both gentlemen for autographs.

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What happened on the day

On the day, the Music City Koriyama Memorial Parade was held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Koriyama City. There was also a special Disney parade, so the center of Koriyama was crowded with people

We head against the flow of people heading for the parade to Hotel Hamatsu, the venue

We arrived 30 minutes before the opening, but there was already a long line! It seemed that many people were looking for the rare whiskey that was being sold in limited quantities!

At the venue, everyone was enjoying the event in their own way, with some listening to seminars, some enjoying tastings at each booth, and some waiting in line for rare whiskeys to be sold

This is the booth of Sasanokawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. and its Asaka Distillery, located in Koriyama City, the local area .

It can be a little confusing because Asaka Distillery's whiskey is sold under the name "Sasanokawa Shuzo," but it is actually Asaka Distillery that produces whiskey in a traditional earthen-walled storehouse within the sake brewery "Sasanokawa Shuzo."

Fukushima Prefecture Minami Sake Sales Co., Ltd. is a liquor wholesale company located in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, with Tetsuzo Yamaguchi, the 8th generation head of Sasanokawa Sake Brewery, as its first president .

We offer "963," a blended whisky made from whisky casks sourced from around the world and blended using our own unique methods . Incidentally, "963" is the postal code for Koriyama City

Located in Yuza Town, Akumi District, Yamagata Prefecture, the Yuza Distillery 's whisky has been gaining attention in recent years due to its high quality

As the distillery is a small-scale operation, tours of the distillery are not currently available, so these events are a valuable opportunity to interact with the distillery

Bar MILLESIMES is a bar located in Kokubuncho, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture . Celebrating its 19th anniversary, it's one of Sendai's long-established bars, offering rare single malt whiskies and cocktails.

The Highlander Inn is a hotel and bar with its main branch in Craigellachie, a village in the Speyside region of Scotland, the heartland of Scotch whisky . It is a famous bar that attracts whisky lovers from all over the world, but the owner and bartender is Tatsuya Minagawa, a Japanese man from Yamagata Prefecture.

In Japan, we have stores in Tokyo and Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture

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summary

This was the writer's first time participating in such an alcohol event, and although I didn't know what to do and ended up drinking too many free samples, and ended up exhausted from walking too much, I learned a lot. When it comes to alcohol events, the most important thing is to "pac yourself"!

I think the next event will be even more enjoyable, so I hope they hold it again next year and beyond. As a whiskey fan, I'm very happy that an event like this is being held in Tohoku!

Whiskey Collection Koriyama <Information>

• Name: Whisky Collection Koriyama
• Event dates: October 26th (pre-event) and 27th, 2024
• Venue: Hotel Hamatsu (Pre-party: Koriyama View Hotel Main Building)
• Official URL:https://wc-koriyama.com/

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