Frequently Asked Questions

Tankyu Distillery is a craft whisky and gin distillery located in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, at the foot of the Daisetsuzan mountains. We use the town's pristine natural spring water — selected as one of Japan's Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters — to produce our spirits.

Our first single malt whisky is expected to be released in 2029. In the meantime, you can enjoy our Yuki no Mado Dry Gin, Perfume Trees Gin, Pale Ink Coffee Liqueur, and seasonal Thence Botanical Elixir.

Higashikawa is the only town in Hokkaido without a municipal water supply. Groundwater from Daisetsuzan's snowmelt flows naturally into every household. This naturally mineral-balanced spring water — classified as medium-hard at approximately 94 mg/L — is ideal for whisky production and is designated among Japan's Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters.

You can book a tour through our Tour page or by contacting us directly. Japanese tours run every Friday at 16:00 and every Saturday at 11:00, English tours every Sunday at 11:00, Mandarin tours every Wednesday and Thursday at 16:00, and Korean tours every Monday and Tuesday at 16:00. Each runs approximately 60 minutes.

Our guided tour covers the full production process: mashing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation. It concludes with a tasting of our craft gin and new-make spirit. Tours are available in Japanese, English, Mandarin, and Korean.

Tankyu Distillery is approximately 10 minutes by car from Asahikawa Airport. The Ideyu shuttle bus runs three daily round-trips connecting the airport, Higashikawa town centre, and the Asahidake hot-spring area. Rental cars are available at both Asahikawa Airport and Asahikawa Station.

Our Private Cask Programme allows you to purchase the entitlement to an individual whisky cask. The Mizunara hogshead and the ex-bourbon barrel are arranged by consultation and contract; the 5-Gallon Finish Cask is coming soon to our online shop. Your whisky matures in our Higashikawa warehouse under Hokkaido's dramatic four-season climate.

In the 2027 programme, a 220-litre Mizunara hogshead filled in 2026 is ¥4,462,500 with UK malt or ¥4,675,000 with Japanese malt, and a 180–200-litre ex-bourbon American Standard Barrel (Japanese malt or UK peated malt) is ¥2,070,000. Both prices are before tax and include cask-strength bottling, with 8 and 3 years' storage respectively. The 5-Gallon Finish Cask (approx. 19 litres, UK malt) is ¥356,400 including tax, is bottled in Q3 2030 and is coming soon to our online shop. Visit our Private Cask page for full details.

Our spirits are available at the distillery and through select retailers in Japan and Hong Kong. For international enquiries, please contact us directly.

Direct international shipping is subject to the alcohol import regulations of each destination country. Please contact us for details about shipping to your location.