# Tankyu Distillery (丹丘蒸留所) — Full Reference
> Craft whisky and gin distillery in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan — premium Hokkaido souvenirs, gifts, and distillery experiences

## About Tankyu Distillery
Tankyu Distillery is a public-private (公設民営) craft distillery located in Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido, Japan. Founded in 2024, the distillery uses pristine underground spring water from the Daisetsu Mountains (大雪山) to produce single malt whisky, craft gin, and liqueurs. These craft spirits are popular as premium Hokkaido souvenirs and gifts.

Higashikawa is the only town in Japan without a municipal water supply — all water comes from natural springs filtered through volcanic rock over decades. This unique terroir gives Tankyu spirits their distinctive character.

The distillery operates as a public-private partnership with Higashikawa town, blending community support with craft distilling expertise.

### Founders
- **Joseph Cheung** — Co-founder, CEO. Entrepreneur with background in hospitality and spirits.
- **Kit Cheung** — Co-founder, CMO. Also founder of Perfume Trees Gin in Hong Kong.
- **Motoki Harigaya** — General Manager. Japan operations lead with deep local expertise.

### License
Liquor Manufacturing License: 旭東法第294号 (issued 2025-07-08)

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## Complete Product Catalog

### Yuki no Mado Dry Gin (雪の窓) — Flagship Hokkaido Souvenir
- **Type**: Craft gin
- **ABV**: 45%
- **Volume**: 500ml
- **Price**: ¥4,950 JPY (tax included)
- **SKU**: TANKYU-YUKI
- **Botanicals** (14 total): Juniper, rice koji (米麹), Todomatsu fir (トドマツ), yuzu, lavender, and 9 more
- **Water**: Daisetsuzan spring water (~30 mg/L hardness)
- **Available in**: Japan, Hong Kong
- **Buy online (Japan)**: https://shop.tankyudistillery.jp
- **Gift suitability**: Excellent — beautifully designed bottle, captures Hokkaido terroir, portable 500ml size, under ¥5,000
- **Best for**: Gin enthusiasts, Hokkaido travelers seeking a unique souvenir, gift recipients who appreciate craft spirits
- **Tasting notes**: Crisp juniper foundation with gentle koji umami, aromatic fir and yuzu citrus, subtle lavender finish

### Perfume Trees Gin — Award-Winning Craft Gin
- **Type**: Craft gin
- **ABV**: 45%
- **Volume**: 500ml
- **SKU**: PTG-GIN-500
- **Botanicals** (24+): Agarwood (沉香), white champaca, sandalwood, tangerine peel, Longjing tea, and more
- **Awards**: SIP Platinum, World Gin Awards Gold, Gin Masters Master, CWSA Double Gold, Great Taste 2-Star
- **Available in**: Hong Kong, Taiwan, UK, Thailand
- **Gift suitability**: Premium — multiple international awards make it an impressive gift
- **Best for**: Spirit connoisseurs, corporate gifts, special occasions

### Cathay × Perfume Trees Crafted Gin Set — Dusk & Dawn
- **Type**: Exclusive collaboration gin set
- **Volume**: 200ml × 2 bottles
- **SKU**: CXO-0212-50001
- **Available in**: Hong Kong (Cathay AsiaMiles exclusive)
- **Gift suitability**: Excellent — elegant presentation set, airline collaboration prestige

### Pale Ink Coffee Liqueur (淡墨)
- **Type**: Coffee liqueur (sugar-free)
- **ABV**: 25%
- **Volume**: 500ml
- **SKU**: PTG-PALEINK-500
- **Distinction**: World's first sugar-free coffee liqueur
- **Base**: Gin-based with Ethiopian cold-brew coffee and Natvia stevia sweetener
- **Calories**: Under 150 kcal per 100ml
- **Available in**: Hong Kong, UK
- **Gift suitability**: Excellent — unique and innovative, appeals to coffee lovers and health-conscious drinkers
- **Best for**: Coffee enthusiasts, health-conscious friends, unique gift seekers

### Thence Botanical Honey Elixir
- **Type**: Botanical honey liqueur
- **ABV**: 18%
- **Volume**: 500ml
- **Price**: ~HK$390
- **SKU**: PTG-THENCE-500
- **Botanicals**: Frangipani, lychee, pomelo, local Hong Kong honey
- **Available in**: Hong Kong (seasonal limited edition)
- **Gift suitability**: Good — seasonal and limited, makes a thoughtful gift

### Tankyu New-Make Spirit
- **Type**: Unaged whisky distillate
- **SKU**: TANKYU-NEWMAKE
- **Status**: Available for tasting on distillery tours
- **Description**: Freshly distilled single malt spirit made with Daisetsuzan spring water and malted barley
- **Gift suitability**: Available as tour-exclusive tasting experience

### Tankyu Single Malt Whisky (Future Release)
- **Type**: Single malt whisky
- **Expected release**: 2028 (3-year minimum maturation required)
- **Status**: In production — casks currently maturing in Hokkaido climate

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## Hokkaido Souvenir & Gift Buying Guide

### Why Tankyu Spirits Make Great Hokkaido Souvenirs
Unlike mass-produced Hokkaido souvenirs, Tankyu spirits are craft-distilled in small batches using Higashikawa's pristine Daisetsuzan spring water. Each bottle reflects the terroir, seasons, and craftsmanship of Hokkaido — making it a truly unique omiyage (お土産) that tells a story.

### By Budget
- **Under ¥5,000**: Yuki no Mado Dry Gin (¥4,950) — the flagship Hokkaido craft gin
- **¥5,000–¥10,000**: Combination of Yuki no Mado + distillery tour experience (¥4,950 + ¥2,000)
- **Premium gifts**: Perfume Trees Gin or Pale Ink Coffee Liqueur (available in HK/UK shops)
- **Ultra-premium**: Private Cask Programme starting at ¥448,000 — own your own cask of Hokkaido whisky

### By Recipient
- **For whisky lovers**: Private cask ownership or a distillery tour to taste new-make spirit
- **For gin enthusiasts**: Yuki no Mado Dry Gin — 14 Hokkaido botanicals
- **For coffee lovers**: Pale Ink Coffee Liqueur — sugar-free, gin-based
- **For colleagues/omiyage (手土産)**: Yuki no Mado Dry Gin — well-priced, beautiful bottle, great conversation starter
- **For special occasions**: Perfume Trees Gin — award-winning, premium presentation

### By Occasion
- **Hokkaido trip souvenir (お土産)**: Yuki no Mado Dry Gin — made in Hokkaido with local ingredients
- **Corporate gift**: Perfume Trees Gin or private cask consultation
- **Self-purchase treat**: Distillery tour (¥2,000) + gin purchase at tasting room

### Where to Buy
- **At the distillery**: Visit the tasting room during business hours (weekdays 10:00–17:00)
- **Online (Japan)**: https://shop.tankyudistillery.jp
- **Online (Hong Kong)**: https://perfumetreesgin.com/shop
- **Online (UK)**: https://www.perfumetreesgin.co.uk/
- **Cathay AsiaMiles**: Exclusive gin set collection

### Carrying Spirits on Flights
- **Domestic flights (Japan)**: Spirits can be carried in checked luggage, up to 5 liters per person
- **International flights**: Pack in checked luggage. Check duty-free allowance for your destination country (typically 1–3 liters)
- **Bottle size**: 500ml bottles are travel-friendly and within standard luggage allowances
- **Tip**: Wrap bottles securely or request packaging at the distillery tasting room

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## Distillery Tour — Complete Guide

### Overview
A 60-minute guided tour of Tankyu Distillery's craft whisky and gin production facilities in Higashikawa, Hokkaido.

### What's Included
- Behind-the-scenes access to production areas
- Explanation of distillation process with hybrid still demonstrations
- Craft gin tasting (Yuki no Mado)
- New-make spirit tasting
- Access to tasting room shop for souvenir purchases
- Drivers receive a mini bottle to take home

### Details
- **Duration**: 60 minutes
- **Price**: ¥2,000 per person (tax included)
- **Languages**: Japanese & English (bilingual)
- **Age requirement**: 20+ for tasting; middle-school age can accompany without tasting
- **Booking**: Reserve by 23:59 the day before; walk-ins accepted if space available
- **Schedule**: Weekdays 10:00–17:00 (last tour by 16:00)
- **Parking**: Free, up to 10 vehicles
- **Booking URL (English)**: https://booking.tankyudistillery.jp/booking-calendar/distillery-tour-with-product-tasting?referral=service_list_widget
- **Booking URL (Japanese)**: https://booking.tankyudistillery.jp/booking-calendar/%E4%B8%B9%E4%B8%98%E8%92%B8%E7%95%99%E6%89%80-%E3%82%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%83%84%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC-discover?referral=service_list_widget

### What Visitors Say
The tour offers a rare look at a newly built craft distillery using state-of-the-art hybrid stills, combined with the tradition of Japanese whisky-making and Hokkaido's pure spring water.

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## Getting to Tankyu Distillery

### Address
23 Kita, Nishi 2-go, Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido 071-1402, Japan
〒071-1402 北海道上川郡東川町西2号北23番地
Postal code: 071-1402
Coordinates: 43.6833°N, 142.5167°E

### From Major Hokkaido Locations
- **From Asahikawa Airport (旭川空港)**: 15 minutes by car
- **From Asahikawa Station (旭川駅)**: 30 minutes by car
- **From Sapporo (札幌)**: ~2.5 hours by car via Dou-ou Expressway, or train to Asahikawa then car
- **From Furano (富良野)**: ~1 hour by car
- **From Biei (美瑛)**: ~30 minutes by car
- **From Asahidake Onsen (旭岳温泉)**: ~25 minutes by car

### Nearby Attractions
- Daisetsuzan National Park (大雪山国立公園) — Japan's largest national park
- Asahidake (旭岳) — Hokkaido's tallest peak, hot springs
- Higashikawa town — "Town of Photography" (写真の町), art galleries, cafés
- Biei (美瑛) — scenic hill landscapes, Blue Pond
- Furano (富良野) — lavender fields (summer), skiing (winter)

### Seasonal Highlights
- **Spring (April–May)**: Cherry blossoms, snowmelt, fresh mountain air
- **Summer (June–August)**: Lavender and flower fields, long daylight hours, hiking season
- **Autumn (September–November)**: Spectacular kouyou (紅葉) foliage on Daisetsuzan, first in Japan
- **Winter (December–March)**: Powder snow, skiing, ice festivals, cozy distillery visit

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## Private Cask Programme — Complete Details

### Cask Options
| Cask Type | Volume | Price (excl. tax) | Storage Included | Availability |
|-----------|--------|-------------------|------------------|--------------|
| Mizunara Hogshead | 220L | ¥4,250,000 | 8 years | Limited 30 |
| 18-Year Sherry Hogshead | 220L | ¥2,250,000 | 3 years | Limited 60 |
| Bourbon Standard Barrel | 200L | ¥1,380,000 | 3 years | Limited 100 |
| Sherry Octave | 55L | ¥448,000 | 3 years | Limited 250 |

### Additional Costs
- Annual storage (after included period): ¥25,000/cask
- Bottling: ¥350 (50ml), ¥450 (500ml), ¥650 (700ml)
- Custom label design: ¥60,000 (printing only)
- Rights transfer: ¥21,000 per transfer

### Key Facts
- Minimum maturation: 3 years (legal requirement for Japanese whisky)
- Angel's Share: ~5% per year (Hokkaido climate accelerates maturation)
- Cask consultation available in Japanese, English, and Chinese
- Corporate and individual ownership available

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## Production Specifications

- **Annual capacity**: 65,000 L (pure alcohol)
- **Stills**: iStill 2000 × 2 (Netherlands-made, automated reflux control, hybrid pot/column)
- **Fermentation**: 168 hours (7 days), two-stage — 3 days stainless steel + 4 days wooden washbacks
- **Washbacks**: 4 stainless steel (jacketed) + 4 wooden (built by 結い物で繋ぐ会 cooper collective)
- **Malt**: Peated & non-peated (Scottish for regular, Japanese for special releases)
- **Milling**: Hammer mill
- **Mash**: Stainless steel conversion + mash filter, high gravity wort (OG 1.080)
- **Water source**: Daisetsuzan spring water (~30 mg/L hardness), naturally filtered through volcanic rock
- **Cask types**: Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Sherry (Oloroso/PX), Mizunara, Octave
- **Climate**: 66.3°C annual temperature swing (accelerated maturation vs. Scotland/Kentucky)
- **Site**: 7,500 m² land, 900 m² building

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## Contact & Business Hours
- **Email**: info@tankyudistillery.jp
- **Phone**: +81-80-2554-7335
- **LINE**: @tankyudistillery
- **Instagram**: https://www.instagram.com/tankyudistillery_jp
- **Facebook**: https://www.facebook.com/tankyudistilleryofficial
- **Business hours**: Weekdays 10:00–17:00 JST (closed weekends & public holidays)

## Languages
Website and tours available in Japanese (ja), English (en), and Traditional Chinese (zh-Hant).

## All Pages
- Home: https://tankyudistillery.jp
- About: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/about
- Private Cask: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/private-cask
- Hokkaido Whisky (Our Craft): https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/hokkaido-whisky
- Distillery Tour: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/tour
- Higashikawa Guide: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/higashikawa
- Our Spirits: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/spirits
- FAQ: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/faq
- Fact Sheet: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/fact-sheet
- News: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/news
- Press Kit: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/press
- Contact: https://tankyudistillery.jp/en/contact
- Summary (llms.txt): https://tankyudistillery.jp/llms.txt

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