Whisky Week
The past week or so has been filled with whisky (whiskey) events, starting with the annual Chichibu Whisky Matsuri in Chichibu, Saitama. Chichibu is home to Ichiro Akuto, the owner of Venture Distilling and the maker of Ichiro’s Malts whiskies, perhaps the most famous whisky in the world over the past ten or fifteen years. The fest brings whisky makers from all over the world to pour samples of their wares, plus other whisky collectors who pour from their own bottles. Last year, for the 2023 event, only 1,500 tickets were sold as Japan was still being careful after the corona virus pandemic. This year 4,000 were sold, which in my opinion was way too many. However, many of the tickets were purchased by people more interested in being able to enter the lottery for a chance to buy special bottles of Ichiro’s Malts (each ticket included one chance at getting a lucky ball), which meant that the line for the lottery was longer than for most of the tables inside the actual event.
One of the best part of the event is sipping whisky and beer in some of the local bars, especially the Highlander, where we went this year, and Te Airigh, where we went last year and shared drinks with Ichiro san as well as Fukuyo san, the master blender for Suntory. Another friend of note was also there, Jon Beach, the owner of the top whisky bar in Scotland, Fiddler’s Inn in Loch Ness. For my wife, who went again with me for the third time, I think the highlight of the event is being able to drink the local water, something that some whisky experts say is what makes Ichiro’s Malts Whisky so great. My wife makes sure to bring some empty bottles along to carry home to drink later.
Last year my friend Christian, the maker of Westward Single Malt Whiskey, an American craft made in Portland, Oregon, got sick the day before he was to fly over for the festival and had to cancel. But not this year, as he made it not just for Chichibu but also for a follow up event in Karuizawa and Komoro, Nagano, the Sixth World Whiskey Forum, which we both attended, me for the first time, Christian for the second time.
Whereas the Chichibu festival is mostly a big party, although with lectures as well (all in Japanese), the WWF gathering is more about whiskey makers and people involved in the industry overall to get together to discuss what is new in the world of whiskey. There were also several non-industry people like me there as well. I think there were about 120 in attendance. The event took place at the still brand new Karuizawa Distillery which is located just up the hill from Komoro City on the lower slopes of Mt. Asama, an active volcano. The distillery is stunning, with a large open room for events, plus a smaller room upstairs where the whiskey sessions were held. Even the warehouses, still mostly empty, are stunning; the are built in the shape of a whisky barrel split vertically. Someone estimated the construction cost was likely to be around three to four million US dollars each.
About half of the attendees stayed at the Karuizawa Prince Hotel West, which is easy to walk to from the Shinkansen and close to many things which we didn’t have time to do (go into old Karuizawa and shop at the outlet mall, for example). But after arriving on the first day my friend Christian and I did manage to visit a local soba restaurant I like that is just a few minutes walk away. After lunch it was soon time to take a shuttle bus to the new distillery where we were given a tour of the distillery portion of the plant. When I walked in, I immediately smelled the scent of the freshly sawn Douglas fir wood that was used for the wash-backs (fermentation tanks). When I inquired about the wood it was indeed Doug fir, sawn from logs that had been imported and the custom cut for the distillery. I recognized the aroma as Doug fir as I have spent a lot of time around it back in Oregon. Plus, it is a species of wood that is commonly used in wash-backs. (the name comes from David Douglas, a Scottish botanist who spent time in Oregon and Washington states; perhaps this wood is used to make whiskey as both came from Scotland.)
After touring the facilities, we sat down for the first session, which consisted of talks by the founders of the distillery as well as Ian Chang, the Master Distiller and blender. Mr. Chang was formerly with Kavalan Whisky of Taiwan and gave an interesting talk in English (he hasn’t had time to learn Japanese yet).
After the talks ended it was time for toasts and introductions. So far the only alcohol to be seen were cocktails costing ¥1,000 made using the distilleries new make (unaged whisky made perhaps five months earlier). While the mayors of Karuizawa and Komoro were speaking high balls made with the new make and served in whisky glasses were passed out to all. After the “kanpai” it was time to feast. And what a feast of a buffet it was. There was everything from paella and muscles to freshly sliced ham to nigiri sushi and buri sashimi. The sashimi, sliced off a whole fish, may have been most people’s favorite as most had likely never seen anything like it. As for drinks, there were whisky cocktails made using Hibiki, Nikka and Hakushu, beer, wine, and even some nihonshu. There were a variety of deserts, including a cake resembling the warehouses. Sadly, the cake was never cut.
About WWF:
The Event was put on by the World Whisky Forum, a small group of whisky lovers from Europe whose goal is to unite whiskey makers and from the big five producing countries (Scotland/U.K., Ireland, the U.S., Canada, and Japan) with the newly emerging whiskey producers from the rest of the world. The conference takes place every eighteen months, the last one being in Seattle. This was the first time it had been held in Asia, a nod to the growing prominence of Asian whiskies in the world. Especially Japanese whiskies. The next conference will be held somewhere in Europe, the exact location still so far unannounced.
The choice of Karuizawa/Komoro this year was an acknowledgement of the growth of whisky making in the Greater Pacific region as well as a chance to celebrate the newly opened distillery that hosted the event. It was also a chance for the city of Komoro to get some visibility; Komoro wants to become the next Chichibu, a small Japanese city made a tourist destination by having a famous product. In the introductory speeches it was mentioned that the city of Komoro donated the land for the plant. And when the mayors of Karuizawa and Komoro gave their speeches, the mayor of Karuizawa, a city famous as a place for foreign residents of Japan to escape the heat of Tokyo during the summer, spoke in English while the local mayor spoke in Japanese.
Day two of the conference featured talks by Japanese distillers and included the histories and backgrounds for the companies involved. Ichiro brought up the topic of the concept of “shuhari” (守破離), a term whose kanji characters mean something like “protect, break, and learn.” As in learn the basics about your craft, then break with tradition, and finally learn more and perfect what you do while taking it to a new level. Jota Taanaka, the Master Blender from Kirin Fuji Gotenba, followed with more on the term and how it applies to whisky making in not just Japan but to other emerging whisk making countries as well. Although the term originated in noh theater, when I heard Ichiro explain it I immediately thought of the youngish sushi and tenpura chefs who keep striving for higher levels of quality and innovation in the food they create.
After finishing for the day we took buses to the Karuizawa Grande Hotel for dinner and sipping whiskies brought to the event by the presenters as well as other makers. It was the first time I had ever tried whisky from New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. It was also the first time to sip Korean whisky, a statement with a bit of spice to it that would pair well with Koeran cuisine made by the as of yet only maker in Korea (Lotte had sent people to observe and take notes). There were two whiskies from India, both of which had fairly unique flavors. As for the food at the party? I really didn’t pay much attention, although I did eat.
For a complete list of countries present:
Japan (Venture, Suntory, Nikka, Kirin Fuji Gotemba, Gaiaflow Shizuoka, Kanosuke, from Kagoshima, and of course the host, Komoro Karuizawa Distillery); Australia (Overeen, Archie Rose, and Starward); New Zealand (two), India (two); Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea and Inner Mongolia China (one each); and two from the US. Europe had whiskies from Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and even Iceland. In all some fifteen or sixteen countries were represented, with a wide assortment of flavors and styles, especially those from India.
The third and final day of the conference featured talks by “emerging country” whisky makers and the issues they face not just in production but also in exporting their product. During the Q and A on day two I had wanted to ask a question regarding hos climate change is impacting the industry, but I never had a chance. I did bring up the topic to Dave Broom, the moderator, who in turn brought up the subject on day three, especially with Dave Withers, the Master Distiller for Archie Rose of Australia. Withers talked about how he was using some drought resistant grains, including black and purple barley, in an effort to avoid using pesticides and irrigation. There was so much more that could have been talked about, including how warmer weather affects aging and angels’ share, and how it might impact the forestry involved in producing oak for casks. Water has many sub-issues as well, including shipping costs for malt imported from Scotland via the Panama Canal or the Gulf. Will there be enough rain to grow barley in the future? Or will there even still be water to make whiskey? I have a feeling an entire day, or at least a half-day session, may be devoted to issues like these sometime in the near future.
I am glad I attended the event. I doubt I would have traveled to Europe for it, but since it was close to home, I gave it a go. And it was well worth it! My knowledge of whiskey and all that goes into it (even about the casks) is now many, many times greater than before. Will I go again next year? Who knows. It depends where it is held.
Although most of the Scots I knew from Chichibu didn’t go to the WWF, we did reunite back in Tokyo for some sushi and bar hopping. Later in the week we headed down to Shizuoka City for a tour of the Shizuoka Distillery. It being a Sunday, they weren’t producing, which was too bad because the others didn’t get to see the wood fired still in operation (I had seen it a couple of years ago). We did get to taste quite a few of their statements, although only one is available to buy (I got one this time). One of our group, a whisky collector and dealer from The Netherlands, had brought a couple of bottles of old Japanese whisky along (he had bought a couple of casks from Ichiro before the whisky was famous and in high demand). Talk about some smooth sipping!