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Tankyu Distillery surrounded by snow-covered Hokkaido landscape — a craft whisky distillery in Higashikawa

SINGLE-MALT WHISKY & CRAFT GIN DISTILLERY

Hokkaido craft whisky
distilled with the pristine waters
of Higashikawa

Higashikawa, Hokkaido — the only town in Japan without a municipal water supply. We harness the underground streams of the Daisetsu Mountains and local ingredients to pursue flavours born only from this land.

Discover Our Story

Tankyu Distillery is a publicly built, privately operated Hokkaido whisky distillery in Higashikawa. We draw on the pristine waters of Daisetsuzan and embrace a patient 168-hour (7-day) fermentation rhythm. Marrying time-honored techniques with cutting-edge innovation, we strive to honor nature and infuse a unique story into every drop of our Japanese craft whisky.

100%

Use of Natural Underground Water

66.3°C

Extreme Annual Temperature Difference

65,000

Annual Whisky Capacity (LPA)

168

Fermentation Time (7 Days)

Ready to embark on your own cask journey?

Become a Private Cask owner at Tankyu Distillery and secure your personal Hokkaido whisky.

Learn about the Private Cask Program

From Snow to Spirit

Snow Falls

Deep in winter, pure snow blankets the peaks of the Daisetsuzan mountains. This pristine white layer is where the journey begins.

Water Is Refined

Over decades, snowmelt filters through layers of volcanic rock, shedding impurities and gathering minerals to become crystalline spring water.

Distilled & Matured

That pure water becomes our mash. Distilled through our iStill hybrid stills, the spirit rests in oak casks, transforming through Hokkaido's four seasons into whisky.

Snow falls on Daisetsuzan. Meltwater seeps through ancient rock. We capture that clarity — then let oak, time, and silence do the rest. Today's snow is tomorrow's whisky.

— The craftsmen of Tankyu Distillery
Spirits born from Hokkaido's terroir

Spirits born from Hokkaido's terroir

Craft gin distilled with Daisetsuzan spring water and local botanicals, and single malt whisky shaped by Hokkaido's dramatic four seasons. Every bottle tells the story of this land.

Explore Our Spirits

Publicly built, privately operated — crafting spirits hand in hand with Higashikawa.

Under Higashikawa's pioneering public-private partnership model, the town and our team joined forces to build a distillery rooted in local resources. Together, we are writing a new chapter for the community and its craft.

Our Story
Publicly built, privately operated — crafting spirits hand in hand with Higashikawa.
Step inside the distillery.

Step inside the distillery.

Want to visit us at the foot of Mt. Daisetsu? See how we craft our spirits behind the scenes, breathe in the aromas of our cask warehouse, and finish with a tasting of our gin and new-make spirit.

Distillery Tour