In a refreshingly down to earth interview, Niigata-based Niigata Kameda Distillery's President and founder Hiroyuki Doda goes over the entire backstory of how the distillery came to be, and how it's making its Japanese single malt whiskies, and yet reflecting on coming into its fourth year and thus with full fledged whiskies finally ready to be released, he strikes the sheepish smile of a school boy who's both eager and anxious - and that makes this little distillery so particularly relatable. It's obvious how much this distillery means to Doda-san, and how excited he is to share his whiskies with the world. None of that tough guy, big conglomerate, men in suits, standoffishness - this is Japanese craft whisky in all its earnestness!

So how did Doda-san get himself into this you might ask? And what's Japan's largest seal-maker, Otani, got to do with it?

The Niigata Kameda distillery. (Image Source: JWRC)

Whisky's Getting Expensive, Why Not Make Your Own

It all starts with him innocent remarking to his wife that his favourite Japanese whisky, the iconic Taketsuru 17 Years Old, was getting harder and harder to get a hold of, and not just that, it was also getting prohibitively expensive. And much to his surprise, his wife had responded by asking him why he would not simply make his own whiskies. "No, no, no. It's impossible!" Doda quickly replied. Doda-san had only known whiskies to be produced by big companies with much resources and capabilities - how could he, but just one man, produce whiskies of an equivalent quality? Doda-san had every right to be skeptical.

"Well, you won't know unless you try."

Is that not how all great things start? And that began what is today known as the Niigata Kameda Distillery, so named after the Kameda district or Japan's famous Niigata Prefecture, known around the world for producing some of the finest premium rice. But who is the man behind the distillery?

Hanko stamps are big in Japan, used for everything from personal sign-offs, to food labels and commemorative events.

From Hanko Seals To Whiskymaker

Hiroyuki Doda is a Hokkaido native. Born in 1975, he had graduated from a local university with a law degree and after which he had began working in a trading company, before eventually moving on to various other industries. Yet, after he had gotten married, he would move to Niigata and join Otani, Japan's largest seal-making company, which his wife had inherited. Whilst the business of making personal seals, known as hanko in Japan, was once big business - basically a person's signature. The drive for digitalisation has meant a serious move towards administration in Japan being done paperless, which in turn has meant strong headwinds for Otani. No matter how much the company has sought to keep itself financially stable - and they've done a pretty great job of doing so, and has also been incredibly supportive of the disabled community - there's only so much that can be eked out. And thus the company too has been in search of new businesses outside of making hanko. When Doda-san joined the business in 2015, he was already put in charge of developing new businesses such as establishing a home nursing station.

Inspiration from one of Japan's most notable entrepreneurs.

A particular seminar during an entrepreneurial program Doda had attended proved to be the spark needed. Toru Yamai, who had founded the famous Japanese outdoor brand Snow Peak, had spoken strongly on how it was better to start businesses in things that the entrepreneur themselves enjoyed. And thus Doda-san had begun to seriously look into starting a whisky distillery - in particular, the ability to have a business that could go beyond Japan's shores was a key part of the appeal. Having connected with other businesses in the prefecture who had taken an interest in investing in a local whisky distillery, and having visited several other small craft whisky distillers, Doda-san finally felt sufficiently confident that perhaps this venture could work. Doda-san and his wife would thus formally establish the Niigata Micro Distillery G.K. in 2019, and would clear out a warehouse right next to Otani's office, which would serve as the new distillery.

Making A Niigata Whisky

Located in an industrial park just a 10 minute drive away from JR Niigata Station, the distillery under the helm of Doda-san, aims to produce a whisky that is fruity, leans sweeter and with a long finish - just the way Doda-san likes it. Doda-san wants fans to feel that the whisky is more mature than its age, and doesn't believe in producing a whisky that is limited by how it can be enjoyed. "Things like "Please drink this whisky on the rocks.", "On the rocks is recommended" or "Straight is recommended", I don't think it's the role of the distillery to say. Whisky drinkers shouldn't follow the producers' instructions on how to enjoy their whisky. The ideal whisky is one that can be enjoyed in any way. Whether it's mixed with soda as a highball or enjoyed straight, it remains delicious.  That's the kind of whisky I aspire to create." says Doda-san.

Yet, being a Niigata distillery first and foremost, Niigata Kameda is designed to express a sense of locality. “We Niigata residents like the aromas of brewing, given the prefecture is famous for both rice and sake. That’s why we too are aiming for an estery, light, and clean whisky. We’re currently in talks with local farmers to have them grow “Yukimi” six-row barley, so we expect to be able to make whisky using it soon. We are also setting up a plan to have our whisky matured in the bilge of the Awashima Line ferry that links Murakami City with Awashima. One day, we also want to make grain whisky using Niigata-grown rice." says Doda-san, as quoted in Whisky Galore and translated by Nomunication.

To achieve all of that, the distillery would procure two pot stills from Forsyths - custom-made - with one being a wash still and the other a spirit still. Interestingly the wash still features a lantern shape, which is the inspiration for the distillery's logo, whilst the spirit still is also given a boil ball. However, to fully achieve the desired light and estery flavour profile, which some have compared to a ginjo sake, the distillery also requires a clear wort. And so with its malted barley (peated and unpeated) that it sources from the UK and has begun also sourcing locally (of the Nijyo variety) from Niigata itself, and with soft water from the Agano River, the wort is made from a specially sourced German lauter tun that allows for an infusion method of mashing, borrowing a practice Doda-san compares to beer brewing. Fermentation is then done with distiller's yeast in acacia wood washbacks sourced from Italy (with also backup stainless steel washbacks), which allows for better development of lactic bacteria cultures in the wood. Fermentation runs for 96 - 120 hours, which is relatively longer, in order to create a more fruity whisky with a longer finish.

Finally, the spirit is then aged in ex-Bourbon American oak casks predominantly, with also some in Sherry and Wine casks. Doda-san has mentioned nevertheless that the distillery wants to increasingly feature more local Japanese woods, and has thus incorporated the use of Cherry Blossom and Mizunara casks, and even hopes to work with local lumber companies and possibly even set up its own cooperage.

Nevertheless getting the entire distillery up - as was the case for many others, was not an easy feat during the Covid pandemic - with the distillery having to face numerous delays, and having been unable to have the UK team from Forsyths come down to the distillery in Japan to help with the set up. Thankfully by early 2021, the Niigata Kameda distillery was able to start its first run of distillation.

With now four years under its belt, the distillery has released several new makes, which are called New Pot, that have featured peated and non-peated spirit, as well as one interestingly made with Niigata Nijyo barley, and similarly follow-up more aged New Born's. In early 2025, the distillery produced its first full fledged Japanese single malt - the Ohtani Whisky Zodiac Sign Series (Pisces Edition). This was aged for over 3 years in first-fill Bourbon barrels, blended in with other cask types such as Sherry barrels.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot