STORY
The “quality first” policy inherited from sake making
Kinryu Corporation, the headquarters of the Yuza Distillery, was established in 1950 with the investment from nine sake makers in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture. The sake brewers are all manufacturers with the commitment to the highest product quality. The quality of sake of each company is highly appraised internationally.
Kinryu has inherited this “quality first” spirit and passion for “pursuing the best sake” for many years. The spirit and passion are the same when producing whisky at the Yuza Distillery. With a commitment to quality and a passion for whisky making, we aim for the highest level of whisky.
TLAS
Yuza Distillery follows a concept we call “TLAS” (Tiny, Lovely, Authentic and Supreme).
The site area is about 4,550㎡ (about 1 acre) and the distillery area is about 620㎡ (about 0.15acares). It is a very small distillery. It looks Tiny and Lovely, but we also aim for Authentic and Supreme whisky. We feel that it is the only Japanese whisky in the world that is made this carefully.
Whisky Utopia in “Yuza”
It took two years of searching to find the best location for producing the highest quality whisky. After repeatedly examining 10 candidate sites, we decided to construct a distillery in Yuza, Yamagata prefecture. Yuza is the town at the foot of Mt. Chokai, adjacent to Yamagata and Akita prefectures. Beautiful springs are scattered around the town. In 1996, Yuza’s underground water was recognized as one of the top 100 in Japan by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Making whisky requires good quality cold water, clear air and moderate moisture. Yuza is blessed with Mt. Chokai’s stream and fresh, clean air. We believe Yuza is the “Whisky Utopia” . We are confident that we will be able to create enticing whisky packed full with the blessings of nature.
Yuza Distillery Beginnings
Yuza Distillery’s whisky focuses on “Japanese Whisky”, and conforms to “The Standards for Labeling Japanese Whisky”*.
(*…The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has now made a binding stipulation which criteria a whisky must meet in order to be called Japanese whisky.）
Only whisky that has been matured to a satisfactory quality will be delivered to everyone.
Yuza Distillery is a tiny distillery so there will be no mass-production. But that’s why we believe that we can do our utmost to create the highest quality whisky concentrating on all the details. We want to deliver “whisky that the world wants” from Yamagata. We will continue to explore the unique flavors that the Yuza Distillery can offer.
While inheriting the spirit and passion that we have cultivated in the production of sake and shochu (another Japanese distilled spirit drink), we started a new challenge of whisky making.
Yuza has the landscape in a unique part of Japan, filled with nature, humanity, and tradition. The beautiful underground water of Mt. Chokai and clear air are ideal environments for whisky making.
Yuza’s nature, traditional whisky making methods and the spirit of “quality first”, associated with the Japanese, is represented by the phrase “God is in the details”. I am convinced that good quality whisky can be made incorporating all of Yuza’s charm and finery.
Please look forward to its completion!
Kinryu Corporation
President
Masaharu Sasaki
