A report on the experience of "Whiskey Collection Koriyama," Tohoku's first whiskey event! [Fukushima Prefecture]

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

In this memorial year, the first whiskey event in the Tohoku region, "Whiskey Collection Koriyama," was held in the area.

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

of Japan's first malt whisky distillery, Yamazaki Distillery, began in 1923 (Taisho 12) in Yamazaki, on the border between Osaka and Kyoto prefectures, by Shinjiro Torii, the

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 first whiskey event in the Tohoku region, "Whiskey Collection Koriyama," will be held over two days, on October 26th (pre-event) and 27th, 2024, at Hotel Hamatsu in Koriyama City, welcoming 39 exhibitors from distilleries, importers, event organizers, restaurants, and more from all over the country.

Exhibitor list (in no particular order)

1. Acorn Limited Company (Saitama Prefecture)
2. Whisky Culture Research 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 and Saitama Prefecture)
7. Chichibu Whisky Festival (Saitama Prefecture)
8. Nagahama Roman Beer Nagahama Distillery (Shiga Prefecture)
9. Nagoya BAR Non-Pete & Rosebank (Aichi Prefecture)
10. Hokkaido WHISKY & SPIRITS (Hokkaido)
11. Marcpage (Tokyo)
12. Asahi Breweries, Ltd. (Tokyo)
13. Aloha x Whisuki (Tokyo)
14. Whisky 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 Whiskey Salon x Saki Glass (Tokyo)
20. BAR fishborn (Hokkaido)
21. Venture Whisky Co., Ltd. (Saitama Prefecture)
22. Umaoi Distillery (Hokkaido)
23. Yusa Distillery (Yamagata Prefecture)
24. RUDDER LTD./THE ULTIMATE SPIRITS (Tokyo)
25. Liquors Hasegawa Main Store (Tokyo)
26. Claire Life Partners Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)
27. Dear WHISKY (Tokyo)
28. Fukushima Minami Sake Sales Co., Ltd. (Fukushima Prefecture)
29. Niigata Kameda Distillery/Yoshida Electrical 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 Manufacturing (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 Prefecture)

Each booth offered a variety of activities, including free whiskey tastings, paid tastings of vintage and rare whiskeys, introductions to each company's business, and event promotions. The main stage also saw a variety of open seminars, including an introduction to distillation equipment , including pot stills, by Miyake Manufacturing (Tokyo the importance of barrels and behind-the-scenes stories about their production, Ariake Sangyo (Kyoto) ; and an introduction to British malt manufacturer Crisp by Kataoka Bussan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)

Ichiro Hito of Chichibu Distillery in Saitama Prefecture, famous for "Ichiro's Malt," a Japanese whiskey that has many fans around the world, Tetsuzo Yamaguchi of Asaka Distillery . Many whiskey fans were seen asking for autographs from both men.

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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

Sasanokawa Brewery Co., Ltd. and Asaka Distillery in the local city of Koriyama .

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."

Fukushimaken Minami Sake Hanbai Co., Ltd. is a local liquor wholesale company in Koriyama City, whose first president was Tetsuzo Yamaguchi, the eighth-generation head of Sasanokawa Sake Brewery .

They offer "963," a blended whiskey made from a unique blend of whiskey barrels purchased from around the world

Yuza Distillery has been gaining attention in recent years for its high level of refinement .

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

Highlander Inn is a hotel and bar with its main branch in the village of Craigellachie in the Speyside region of Scotland, the home of Scotch . It is a famous bar that attracts whiskey lovers from all over the world, and its owner and bartender is Japanese, Tatsuya Minagawa, who is originally 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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