A Whiteout to Finish

Hey, I’m Casey. Welcome to our newsletter, sharing the startup journey of Kamui Whisky K.K. We’ve been busy, but when we aren’t overwhelmed, we’ll share a story as we craft up a whisky distillery on a remote, volcanic island in the most northern part of Japan.

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Snowed Out, Building Goes On

This past week I was supposed to fly up to Rishiri, last trip of the year. Weather got in the way:

しろまるをさがせ！ @Asuka_Shiromaru

稚内、極寒です。何もみえません。

This is Wakkanai, where I was set to fly in, and then take the ferry over to Rishiri.

I didn’t make it.

The white out kept everyone in Rishiri from getting outside, yet still, despite a few days interruption, construction continued.

We are almost done:

Our distillery yesterday, at the first letup from the storm. Picture credit: Katsuya Kosaka.

It was a rough journey to start construction on Rishiri. Luckily, the team we have are extremely dedicated. They work every day that it’s physically possible to get outside.

Photo: Katsuya Kosaka.

Hoshida-san, owner and hands-on builder of the construction firm we are working with, and his team are tough. They only make them tough on Rishiri. They’ve been a pleasure to work with.

When you come visit us in Rishiri, if you find yourself next to Hoshida-san, ask him how he got the hole in his hand. It’s a great story. You’ll not have heard one like it.

Photo courtesy of Shoji Azuma

2022: A Milestone Year

We start operations in 2022. Distill and barrel our first whisky. It’ll be a momentous year for us, the start of what will, hopefully, be a hundreds year journey.

2022 also marks the 100 year anniversary of Japanese Whisky. (1919 was when the first Whisky license was issued, and 3 years later, in 1922, the first Japanese “whisky” released).

It was Masataka Taketsuru, founder of Nikka, with his Scottish wife, also based in Hokkaido, that set the foundations for what Japanese whisky became.

The parallels between our and Japanese Whisky’s origin stories deepen the feeling of inevitability. Here we are 100 years later, at the most northern point in Japan, working to add something special to the next span in Japanese Whisky history.

The Next 100

As to the vision for the next 100 years, I don’t know. But for the next few, there is going to be a great big wave of Japanese Whisky on the market.

A few years back the Japanese government set the Whisky industry as an industry of growth. The category has grown exponentially the last few years, doubling in the last couple of years alone. The growth is led by the majors - Suntory and Nikka. They’ve invested heavily, building warehouses that will hold, a hard-for-a-small-craft-distillery-like-us-to -fathom, 50,000 - 250,000 barrels.

Then there have been a lot of new craft whisky distilleries licensed this year.

Within the Japanese whisky industry invisible lines are being drawn. Between the older players, the craftsmen that have matured Japanese Whisky to its world leading status, and the upstarts. Between those that just want to make money and those that are in it for the love and the craftsmanship. Thankfully, we’ve been warmly accepted into the craftsmanship camp.

Bye 2021

2022 will be the year things really get started for us - construction will finish, our stills will arrive, our license officially granted, and if we can get outside, even if it is dang cold, we will be striving to make some sublime whisky with the terroir of Rishiri.

Happy New Year.