🎬 The Story Behind｜Niseko Distillery – Water, Snow, and Spirit in Harmony
The Call of Powder Snow & Pure Water
In the early 2010s, Jiro Nagumo—CEO of Hakkaisan Brewery and scion of Japan’s sake-making legacy—found himself enchanted by Niseko’s world-renowned powder snow and alpine serenity. He sensed something magical: “This might be the perfect place to build a whisky distillery,” he mused, struck by the region’s blend of tourism potential and natural purity.
Scene 1: Crafting Dreams in the Footsteps of Mount Annupuri
On February 25, 2019, Hakkaisan Brewery founded Niseko Distillery Co.. Within a forested plot beneath Niseko Annupuri, a vision began to take shape: a place where Japanese whisky and gin could emerge from snowmelt, spring water, and craftsmanship rooted in nature.
Scene 2: Instruments of Nature & Precision
By late 2020, the distillery building stood complete, seamlessly integrating with its forest surroundings. Specialized equipment arrived: Swiss mill, Slovenian mash tun, locally built Douglas-fir washbacks, and Scottish Forsyths copper pot stills. A 600 L hybrid still was also added for gin production.
Scene 3: Distilling Water from Ice
Niseko’s spirits are born of ancient underground water. Filtered through layers of volcanic sand beneath riverbeds and glaciers of Niseko Annupuri, this pristine spring water was first used to produce gin—ohoro GIN, whose name means “to continue” in Ainu. Whiskey distillation began in March 2021.
Scene 4: A New Whisky from Winter’s Heart
Although their whisky matures in silence under snow and ice, visitors experience a sensory evolution—from sweet, fresh gin to the promise of whisky distilled from meltwater and cold air. The first drams, aged for the legally required three years, became eligible for bottle release in early 2024 .
Scene 5: Embracing Nature, Embracing Visitors
Tours through the distillery offer an immersive experience: walk amidst the larch-wood interior framed by alpine scenery; smell botanicals like Japanese mint and sweet gale; witness fermentation, distillation, and sample unaged whisky and gin. Nestled within international tourism, Niseko Distillery speaks with hospitality, not exclusivity.
Final Scene: Snowbound Spirit
Niseko whisky and gin are not just made—they are shaped by snowmelt, sand, forest, and community. Each sip carries the freshness of alpine spring water, the crispness of winter air, the warmth of craftsmanship, and the continuity of tradition.
This is Niseko Distillery:
Not just spirits, but reflections of place and purpose.
🥃 What You Taste in a Glass
- ohoro GIN: crisp juniper, citrus, mint, and forest botanicals—clean, elegant, enduring.
- Whisky (2024+) : slowly matured Japanese single malt — pure snow-filtered water, softly fruity, with crisp, cool-season clarity.