I shape whisky,
and whisky, in turn, shapes me.

I wanted to create a whisky that did not yet exist.
A true Japanese whisky made only here,
using spring water from the Nikko mountain range,
sake yeast, and finely milled Ginjo rice flour.

There is no single correct answer.
That is what makes it compelling.
I think, arrive at provisional answers, test them,
dismantle them, and begin again.
Through repetition, the whisky I seek
— and the path I must follow — gradually take shape.
Each day, I am reminded of the power of evolving creation.

A Japanese whisky shaped
by the craft and philosophy of sake brewing.

In the spring of 2022, Tochigi Prefecture’s first whisky distillery,
the Nikko Kaido Oyama Distillery, was established.
Located within the grounds of Nishibori Shuzo —
whose buildings are registered as tangible cultural properties —
a historic rice-polishing warehouse was reborn as a distillery.

Its wooden architecture, layered with time,
carries a presence and atmosphere unlike any other distillery.
It is a place where accumulated years quietly speak.

Why would a sake brewery choose to make whisky?
One reason was to preserve regional sake culture
and ensure the future of an independent brewery
by embracing forms of craftsmanship suited to a changing era.
Brewing sake in winter, distilling spirits in summer —
by fully committing to what each season demands,
we pursue a sustainable approach to making alcohol.

Among distilled spirits, whisky revealed a depth without end.
Drawn to that depth, I chose to step in.

What I seek is a whisky that could only be made by a sake brewery.
Sake yeast, Ginjo rice flour, spring water from Nikko —
through a process of bricolage using what exists here and now,
I aim to create something unmistakably singular.

Thus began an uncompromising pursuit:
to create Japanese whisky infused with the techniques,
philosophy, and materials of sake brewing.

I sincerely hope this whisky will serve as a bridge —
connecting the culture and history of sake
and illuminating the path ahead.