[Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery in Yoichi] Tasing and Guided Tour Can Be Enjoyed in Shooting Place of "Massan"

Distillery Tour

There are the Nikka Kaikan, the Distillery Shop "NORTHLAND" and Masataka Taketsuru Memorial Park (竹鶴政孝記念庭園) around the parking lot, and the Nikka Kaikan has the restraunt "Taru" and a free tasting place, and tourists can enjoy meals and tasting. The restraunt "Taru" has a good reputation, and whisky and wine lamb shabu-shabu (ウイスキー・ワインラムしゃぶ定食) is sereved. The Whiskey, Apple Juice, Oolong Tea are offered at the free tasting place, and snacks are sold, too.

Of course,drivers must not drink the whiskey, so I drank the apple juice "Ringo-no-Hoppe (りんごのほっぺ)". That was thick, and was very tasty ! The apple juice adding carbonated water was tasty, too ! By the way, Nikka (日果), former name is Dainippon Kajitusi corp (大日本果汁株式会社), is derived from apple juice.

Various whiskies, snacks and marine products are sold at the Distillery Shop "NORTHLAND". The whiskey is popular in Japan recently, and some brands are out of stock.

The visitors can tour along only tour route. The distillery has a lot of green plants, and those go well with red roofs and stone buildings, so it has a nice atmosphere. Facilities that the visitors can enter are the Whisky Museum, the Warehouse No.1, the Former Residence of Taketsuru, the Former Office, the Wash House, the Barrel House, the Still House, the Kiln Tower, the waiting room.

The Whisky Museum has the Whisky Hall and the Nikka Hall. The history and the whiskey of manufacturing process are displayed at the Whiskey Hall, and there is a bar, so the visitors can enjoy paid tasting. About William Phaup Lowrie as icon of the Nikka whiskey is explained. He had been said the "King of Blenders", and this picture expresses his work to identify a fragrance of the whiskey. But I thought that he liked his drink more than anyone, and I misunderstood it. He was working ! About various kinds of goods related with Mr. Masataka Taketsuru and Mrs. Rita Taketsuru are displayed at the Nikka Hall, and a movie is shonw.

At the Warehouse No.1, the visitors can observe a look of stock, and a movie is shown. The warehouse increases, and 26 warehouses are built at present. Except the Warehouse No.1, the visitors are forbided from the other warehouses.

The Former Residence of Taketsuru that Mr. Masataka Taketsuru and Mrs. Rita Taketsuru lived at features a green roof. Originally this building did not used to be on this site, but it was removed, and was rebuilt in 2002. The visitors can enter only an entrance hall and a garden. More than 20 types of trees and flowers are planted on the garden, and those are full in bloom from May to July.

Originally, the Rita House used to be a laboratory, and was a tea room for a whlie. But it does not open to the public at present.

At the Barrel House, a making process of barrels is displayed. The barrel is one of the important elements of the whiskey.

The Former Office with a green roof has a drawing room. But the visitors can observe it only through a window.

At the Wash House, fermentation tanks are in line, and raw materials of the whiskey are fermented. Saccharified solution is sent to pot stills at the Still House via underground pipes. The visitors can observe the fermentation tanks only through a window.

At the Kiln Tower, the whisky is seasoned. The visitors can enter a part of the Kiln Tower. The barley is dried and smoked with peat (grass peat) mined in Ishikari city. The visitors can touch the peat directly.

The visitors from the Yoichi Station enter from the Main Gate. The appearance is very cool, and looks like walls and a tower of a western castle.

At the Still House, the pot stills are in line, and saccharified solution is heated with coal, and is vaporized. Facilities to distill with coal seems to be only this distillery in the world, so it is valuable. A sacred Shinto straw festoon is decorateed to the pot steel, and they pray to make a good whiskey. This is manner to come from Mr. Taketsutu's home.

Atmosphere of Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations around Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.

Hotel Suimeikaku(ホテル 水明閣)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Ayumiso(あゆ見荘)	HP	HP	Jalan	Rakuten
Hotel Sun Art(ホテルサンアート)	Only Tel:+81-135-22-6070
A-Brand Hotel(エーヴランドホテル)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Pettie Hotel North Shore(プチホテルノースショア)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Kakuto Tokushimaya Ryokan(かくと徳島屋旅館)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Minshuku Toyohama(民宿豊浜)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Hotel EMER140(ホテルEMER140)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Guest House Yoichi(ゲストハウス余市)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Irifune House(入舟の家)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Marumatta Farm 21(農家民宿 まるまったファーム 21)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten