Hokkaido Training Program①_Visit to Akkeshi Distillery

Thank you very much for your patronage of Toranomon BAR Shinkai.
In this blog, we would like to report on our summer visit to the Akkeshi Distillery.

Japanese whisky is now enjoying a booming popularity not only in Japan but also around the world. Finally, Japanese whisky production has been recognized and the world has begun to take notice.

Suntory and Nikka Whisky have been Japan’s leading whisky makers in the past, but in recent years, slightly minor makers such as Mars Whisky and Ichiro’s Malt have also been attracting attention. Furthermore, an increasing number of companies have recently entered the whisky business by building new distilleries.

The most notable of them all for me is the Akkeshi Distillery, located in Akkeshi in Doto, Hokkaido.

As I myself am from Hokkaido, I felt a sense of affinity and wanted to “support Hokkaido whisky”, so I of course purchased all the Newborn series that Akkeshi distillery has released so far.

１．From Tokyo to Akkeshi

This Akkeshi distillery tour was conducted by four bartenders from three of our restaurants, DiningBAR Hidden Lounge, Toranomon BAR Shinkai, and Shiba Daimon BAR Shinkai, plus α, for a total of five people.

The destination is Akkeshi.

7/15 (Sun)
Departure from Haneda → Visit Akkeshi distillery → Transfer to Sapporo
7/16(Mon)
Yoichi distillery tour → Sapporo training
7/17 (Tue)
Return to Tokyo → Shop open from night

This is a very aggressive schedule.

Haneda Airport at 7:00 a.m. on July 15 (Sun.). Bartenders from each restaurant gathered on time and departed from Haneda Airport for Kushiro Airport. It had been a long time since we boarded the AIR DO for a comfortable flight. Less than two hours after takeoff, we arrived safely at Kushiro, at the eastern end of Hokkaido.

２．Akkeshi, too far away.

Now, we have arrived at Kushiro, and all the members were very excited. We were all very excited. However, we underestimated the vastness of Hokkaido. It took more time than we had imagined to move around and wait for transfers.

The road to our destination, Akkeshi Distillery, roughly goes like this.

Calculating only the time required for the trip, it takes about 2 hours. This may not seem like much, but the number of local trains in Hokkaido itself is very small, and each train has a 20 to 30 minute wait time.

I was completely used to the feeling of trains coming every five minutes in Tokyo, and I was quite languid during this waiting period.

At any rate, after a 50-minute bus ride from Kushiro Airport, I arrived at JR Kushiro Station. Kushiro, after a long absence, was as deserted as ever. (As a child of Hokkaido, I was a little sad.)

From JR Kushiro Station, we took the JR Nemuro Line bound for Nemuro to Akkeshi, where we had to wait for 30 minutes for the train to depart. There was no shopping mall, Doutor or Starbucks around the station, so we wandered around the station.

We found the Oyaki store “The second best in the world! “.

Oyaki in Hokkaido is different from what people in Kanto and other areas of Japan imagine.

As a native of Hokkaido, I have always known “oyaki” in this shape since I was a child. It is filled with red bean paste or custard, and both children and adults used to enjoy eating it as a snack. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed oyaki, and the waiting time, which should have been boring, was surprisingly fulfilling.

After looking around the station, I had nothing left to do, so I took a break at a coffee shop attached to a bakery. The “marshland bread” stood out in the attached bakery. I was very curious about the taste, but I held back because I was going to eat a boxed lunch at the station later.

So We bought a station lunch and beer and boarded the train for Akkeshi.

To my surprise, this Nemuro-bound “Rapid Nosap” was a shocking one-car train.

We couldn’t sit in the seats, so we made a toast and ate a boxed lunch near the exit. We toasted with Sapporo Classic, a limited edition of Hokkaido’s famous beer.

It was tiring to be on my feet for about 50 minutes on the way to Akkeshi, but the view from the train and the great nature as far as the eye could see were indeed Hokkaido’s. I was “impressed” and my tired body and mind were healed. The view from the train, the nature as far as the eye can see, and the tired mind and body were all healed.

A short while after leaving Kushiro, you will be surrounded by trees on both the right and left, and this view just keeps on going. As you can see, the train tracks are single-track, which means that trains cannot cross them. No wonder there are so few trains on the line.

In the meantime, we finally arrived at “JR Akkeshi Station”.

３．Akkeshi Distillery

It takes about 15 minutes by cab from JR Akkeshi station.
Finally, we arrived at our destination, the Akkeshi Distillery.

We were greeted by a distillery with “AKKESHI” written in large letters.
It was as if we were in a distillery in Scotland. However, the area around the distillery was wilderness as far as the eye could see.

The still shiny, pure white distillery looks great in this environment.

The Akkeshi distillery consists of three buildings: a manufacturing plant, an aging house, and an office building attached to it. There is also a second aging house a short distance away, and if you include it, the distillery consists of four buildings.

We had the opportunity to visit the distillery for professionals through a relationship with Kenten Jitsugyo (owner of Akkeshi distillery), and first, Mr. Tatuzaki, the distillery manager, explained the story of how Akkeshi distillery was established, its features, and its goals directly to us in the meeting room in the office.

Although I had heard about the project from President Toita of Kenten Jitsugyo beforehand, I learned even more when I listened to his explanation on site.

• “Akkeshi” was chosen for its cool and humid climate.
• We’re aiming for a smoky whisky made on Islay.
• “Akkeshi” is rich in peat, which is necessary for smoky whiskey.
• High temperature differences throughout the year and fast ripening rate.
• The company aims to make all Hokkaido (ingredients) whisky.

Indeed, Akkeshi resembled the topography and climate of the Scottish island of Islay, making it the perfect place for whisky making.