Tankyu Hokkaido craft whisky distillery exterior with Daisetsuzan mountain backdrop

About Us

About Tankyu Distillery

A publicly built, privately operated distillery — pursuing extraordinary whisky with Higashikawa

Public-Private ModelDaisetsuzan Spring Water168h Fermentation

Our Story

Tankyu Distillery was born from Higashikawa's public-private partnership — a model where the town provides land and infrastructure, and a private operator brings the craft. Co-founders Joseph and Kit, who created Perfume Trees Gin in 2018, partnered with Higashikawa to craft whisky rooted in the land of Hokkaido.

What drew us here was the water. Higashikawa is the only town in Japan with no municipal water supply — pure spring water flows naturally everywhere. Snowmelt from the Daisetsuzan mountains filters through volcanic rock for decades, emerging as some of Japan's finest natural water. That water is the reason we are here.

We embrace the ethos of the shokunin — artisans devoted to a lifetime of craft. A 168-hour two-stage fermentation, traditional wooden washbacks handcrafted by local coopers, and precision hybrid stills all reflect our philosophy: patience of tradition paired with the exactness of innovation. Through it all, we aim to share this land's character with the world.

Our Team

We are a multi-national team of spirits veterans and experts, each bringing deep experience in our own fields.

Joseph Cheung

Co-founder & Representative Director

Co-founder and Representative Director of Tankyu Distillery K.K. Joseph leads the end-to-end establishment of the distillery in Japan — from construction planning and equipment onboarding to operational readiness and operating design. He also spearheads product development across Tankyu's core categories (flavour design, concept direction, specification decisions) as well as branding, including bottle, label, and packaging. In 2018, he co-developed the craft gin Perfume Trees Gin with Kit Cheung.

Kit Cheung

Co-founder

Co-founder of Tankyu Distillery. Kit brings a background as a bartender and educator, helping translate Tankyu's flavour direction into a coherent drinking experience. He shapes how each product is expressed and understood — through tasting language, serving context, and brand storytelling — so the intent behind the liquid reaches the person in front of the glass. He has over 20 years of experience in the F&B industry across Europe and Hong Kong, and has long been involved in education and training.

Motoki Harigaya

Representative Director

Representative Director of Tankyu Distillery K.K. Motoki translates Tankyu's global vision in the liquor business into language and execution that resonate in Japan — aligned with local business customs, regional context, and stakeholder expectations. He supports the distillery project and business operations through external partnerships, government liaison, and community relations. After completing graduate studies at Hokkaido University, he worked at JETRO Hokkaido on foreign company attraction.

David Hsieh

Master Distiller

A Taiwanese master distiller with five years of hands-on experience at a Scottish distillery, where he honed his expertise in distilling and blending. David brings deep technical knowledge in translating flavour goals into process design, control, and repeatable quality. He is also the creator and host of Whisky4Pro — Taiwan's most popular whisky podcast — where he explains distilling, maturation, and tasting with clarity and a frontline perspective.

Higashikawa, Hokkaido

Higashikawa sits at the foot of the Daisetsuzan mountains in central Hokkaido — the only municipality in Japan with no municipal water system, because pure spring water flows naturally throughout the town. Designated among Japan's 100 Best Waters, this terroir is the foundation of our whisky.