All Shizuoka whiskey, woven with Shizuoka's water and nature

About 40 minutes' drive north from the center of Shizuoka City, along the Abe River for about 20km, you will find the Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery in a place called Tamagawa.
The interior and exterior of the building are made of cedar and cypress from Shizuoka, and the structure was designed to blend in with the surrounding natural environment.
Gaia Flow also offers distillery tours, and as of October 2024, more than 10 people have visited the distillery.
It is popular with many people from all over the country who want to taste Shizuoka Distillery's whiskey on site.

We spoke with CEO Nakamura Taiko as we toured the distillery to find out how Shizuoka whiskey is made.

Southern Alps and Whisky

Once inside the distillery, we were guided to a large space. There, we were amazed at the impressive size of the three pot stills (stillage machines), the most important equipment in whiskey production. The towering pot stills boast a maximum capacity of 6,000 liters. The first still W is made in Scotland and uses a direct fire from a firewood, the first still K was moved from the Karuizawa Whisky Distillery, and the second still S is also made in Scotland. Using these three stills, they make several different types of raw liquor. It is said that a distillery that uses three pot stills is very rare.

Nakamura says that water is the lifeblood of whiskey making.
Water is used in every process of whiskey making, so an abundance of pure water is essential. The water used for Shizuoka Distillery's whiskey comes from the underground water of the Abe River, which flows right next to the distillery. Upstream is the Southern Alps. Wells are dug on the premises and the water is pumped up from the ground, with a hardness of 70. Among Japan's distilleries, this is close to the hardness of Yamazaki Distillery, which has a hardness of 90. Shizuoka Distillery's whiskey uses soft water with a slightly higher hardness.

My first encounter with whiskey

As a whiskey lover, Nakamura makes whiskey that he himself would like to drink. The trigger for him to start making whiskey was a private visit to Islay, Scotland. "I modeled it after a small independent Scotch whiskey distillery on Islay. I saw them working with local farmers to grow barley, ferment it, and make whiskey, and that's when the concept for my whiskey was decided," says Nakamura.
We began working to express the idea of ​​utilizing local resources and creating local flavors in the world of whiskey.

All Shizuoka Whisky

What is a whiskey that is uniquely Shizuoka?
When Nakamura thought about it, he decided to make everything using materials from Shizuoka.

One of the features of this whisky is that it uses malt (malted barley) from Shizuoka Prefecture. At the time of its founding, very little barley was grown in Shizuoka Prefecture, but with the cooperation of Shizuoka Prefecture, JA, and farmers, Shizuoka Distillery began full-scale cultivation in 2019 and proposed the production of "100% Shizuoka malt whisky" for the first time.

Suddenly, a huge wooden tank appeared before my eyes.
This is a wooden fermentation tank made from local wood, which is used to ferment the wort. As there are few technicians who can make wooden tanks these days, they sought advice from local people and went into the mountains to select trees. It took more than two years to complete. The idea of ​​using Japanese cedar in whiskey making was first conceived by Shizuoka Distillery, and it is said to be essential to expressing "Shizuoka". Unlike the stainless steel that is usually used, it has good insulation properties and can maintain the ideal fermentation temperature, resulting in a rich flavor.
However, daily maintenance is also required, which is time-consuming.

Furthermore, they are also attempting the world-first "direct fire wood distillation," and we were able to see the firing process. There was wood charcoal that would have burned vigorously, and while distillation is usually done using steam, they are recreating the "firewood burning" method used 200 years ago, asking lumberjacks to bring firewood, which they then use from local thinnings to dry naturally and burn.

The barrels used to age the whiskey are mainly bourbon barrels imported from the United States, but some are made from Mizunara oak from Mount Fuji.
Apparently, only three barrels were made specifically for the purpose of making the All Shizuoka Whisky.
Using local water, barley, yeast, wooden fermentation tanks, firewood for fuel, and barrels, everything from the raw ingredients to the whiskey-making process is made in Shizuoka, winning the hearts of whiskey fans in Japan and around the world.

Enjoy whiskey from Shizuoka Distillery

Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery offers a tour that allows you to see every corner of the distillery. You will be accompanied by a guide and spend an hour touring the distillery, experiencing the aroma and heat of the distillery, and finally enjoying a tasting.
When you enter the tasting room, you will be greeted by a unique Shizuoka Distillery atmosphere, complete with pot stills. You can enjoy a luxurious time basking in the afterglow of your tour while sipping on the whiskeys from the Shizuoka Distillery.

They also sell a product called "Private Cask" that allows you to become the owner of a barrel. The whiskey will be aged in the barrel for 3 to 4 years before being delivered to you.
"By becoming the owner of a barrel, you develop an attachment to it, and the owner can take a tour of the distillery for free and even extract and taste a sample of the raw liquor on the spot. By coming all the way to Shizuoka, you also develop an attachment to Shizuoka," says Mr. Ito, and "buying barrels" is popular with people from outside the prefecture as well.

It has gained a reputation for being delicious and rare, and I hear it's so difficult to get hold of that it's rumored to sell out by preorder alone.
So I was introduced to a place where I could drink whiskey, and I went there right away.

Bar Oshiroen

The place they introduced us to is "Bar Daidaien," located in the basement of a brick building in a downtown area lined with restaurants and cafes, a five-minute walk from the north exit of Shizuoka Station.
When I opened the heavy door, I was greeted by Daichi Sugiyama, the owner of "Fujinokuni Food Capital Creation Worker."

Mr. Sugiyama, who is from Kanaya in Shimada City, trained in Kawagoe, Saitama and Ginza, Tokyo, before opening his own shop in Shizuoka City.
The name "Oshiroen" comes from the fact that his great-grandfather produced and sold tea under the trade name "Oshiroen." "Just as the tea ceremony is a culture, bars are also a culture. I would like to someday establish the special culture of bars in this place. That is my life goal, and the mission I have imposed on myself. So it is only natural that I incorporate local produce into my cocktails. I believe that a job is a way of life," says Sugiyama.

There were many bottles lined up on the shelves behind the counter, including whiskey from Shizuoka Distillery.
I immediately ordered the Shizuoka Distillery's "Single Malt Shizuoka United S" straight up. With just one sip, I was greeted with a creamy sweetness and a unique cedar-like flavor, with no peculiar taste and a mild flavor.
He also recommends drinking it twice up (1:1 mix of water and whiskey, without ice).

Upon request, they created original Shizuoka cocktails that you can't find anywhere else, such as cocktails made with local Shizuoka tea and seasonal fruits.
Sugiyama says, "I respond to my customers' needs, ask them what they want, and serve them drinks that suit them. My greatest joy is when customers like my drinks."

Finally, Shizuoka's pure water is an important ingredient in making whiskey.
In addition to the Shizuoka Distillery, there is the Ikawa Distillery (Juzan) further back. In addition, Tokinosumi Fuji (Toki no Sumi) is also preparing the "Fuji Kaguya Distillery".
Whisky made using delicious water is starting to attract attention from around the world.

Come and enjoy delicious whiskey and food in Shizuoka.

Photo: e-works Yutaka Uchida