Article first published by our partner, Japanese Whisky Dictionary. Visit them here. Find the original article here.

(SAKURAO B&D) (formerly known as Chugoku Brewery Co., Ltd.), famous for its SAKURAO GIN, launched a project in 2015 to build a new distillery as a 100th anniversary project.

SAKURAO DISTILLERY was born in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, known as the town of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, and started operation in January 2018.

In July 2021, the 1st Release Cask Strength of Single Malt Japanese Whisky SAKURAO and Single Malt Japanese Whisky TOGAUCHI are launched.

About a year later, the single malt was released in a watered-down version with an alcohol content of 43%.

Although the limited number is not certain, it is likely to be shipped to restaurants, hotels, bars, and other commercial outlets, as well as to a reasonable number of retail outlets for general consumers.

The Bottle

Matured in a tunnel in a cool environment deep in the mountains

Togouchi in Aki Ota Town stands out for the beauty of its scenery and the colors of its rich forests and clear streams, including Mount Osorakan (the highest mountain in the prefecture), Mount Sinnyu, and Sandankyo, a special national scenic beauty spot.

The Togouchi storage facility is housed in a tunnel that was once used for railroad purposes. The tunnel is about 800 meters long, and cool breezes pass through it all year round. The dark storage cellar, where temperature and humidity are kept constant throughout the year, allows for a slow maturation process. The wine has a refreshing aroma of vanilla, apple, marmalade, and mint, and a light, smooth mouthfeel.

Our Take

Compared to the Togouchi Cask Strength version released last year, the aroma is sweet and fruity and gives a good impression, but the drinkability is a bit lacking. The refreshing sweetness is enhanced by drinking it chilled on the rocks.

Sakurao distillery has already started producing grain whisky, and in a few years they will be able to make 3-year-old grain whisky. The distillery is also increasing its production of malt whisky and seems to be producing a variety of malt whisky. I think they are one of the top class distilleries in terms of production volume among domestic craft distilleries.

I have high expectations for their future releases.

The tunnels used for aging at Togouchi are characterized by the low temperature difference throughout the year and the speed of aging is gentle. In fact, there is not only one tunnel, but another….

(All Images Courtesy of JPWhisky.net)

For more awesome Japanese Whisky content, go visit: