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Japan Tourism: Whisky Produced by Okayama’s Sake Brewery Gains Fame Through Years of Trial and Error

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
The Okayama Distillery, left, and Sake Brewery Doppokan

By Yuki Maeoka / Special to Ryoko Yomiuri Publication

10:57 JST, April 25, 2026

OKAYAMA — A three-minute walk from JR Nishigawara-Shujitsu Station on the Sanyo Line in Okayama City, past a residential neighborhood, I arrived at Craft Brewery Doppokan, a complex with a distillery, restaurant and shop.

Through the restaurant’s glass walls, I saw the whisky pot still of the Okayama Distillery, run by Miyashita Sake Brewery Co. My excitement grew at the prospect of being able to observe the distillation process.

The brewery was founded in 1915. For the brewing process it uses underground water from the nearby Asahi River, known for its clear flow. The company has gone far beyond its core business of sake production, continually taking on new challenges in shochu spirits, beer and other kinds of alcohol.

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
A blend of Okayama-grown malt and smoked malt from Europe used in production

Miyashita Sake Brewery released the first craft beer in the Chugoku region in 1995. Any account of the Okayama Distillery must begin with its craft beer business.

Then, applying techniques from shochu production, the company created beer spirits in 2007 by distilling beer and aging it in oak casks. Upon tasting it, I found a mellow sweetness, followed by the fullness of malt and the stimulating kick of hops.

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
A copper pot still. Copper is said to help remove compounds that cause off-flavors, resulting in a cleaner taste.

When techniques are combined, something even newer can emerge. That same year, then president Fuichiro Miyashita visited a beer festival in the United States and noticed a pot still next to a brewery.

“With a still, you can make whisky,” he mused.

In 2011, Miyashita Sake Brewery obtained a whisky production license and began making whisky at the Okayama Distillery. It used two-row barley grown in Okayama Prefecture and used Asahi River water pumped from 100 meters below ground. For low-temperature, long-term fermentation, it adapted techniques from sake brewing.

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
Sake no Izumi, a shop inside Sake Brewery Doppokan. Its craft gin, blended with ingredients such as cilantro, white peach and grapes, is a recommended buy.

“We had already gained confidence through our beer spirits, and I think that gave us the push to move into whisky-making,” said Katsuhiko Hayashi, the brewery’s chief of the sales department.

At first, the company used a stainless-steel distiller designed for shochu. In 2015, a German-made pot still was introduced, which led to the production of highly regarded new make spirit — freshly distilled pre-whisky that has yet to be aged.

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
Single Malt Okayama Triple Cask

Miyashita brewery’s new make spirit is marked by a sweet, grain-like aroma and last year, this won the top award in its category at an international competition.

The brewery’s Single Malt Okayama Triple Cask, aged in three kinds of barrels and then blended, has also received high praise.

Not every attempt worked out. Even so, the time and skill accumulated through years of unceasing effort now support every glass the distillery pours.

Courtesy of the Okayama Distillery
Diners can enjoy their meal at a restaurant.

On a factory tour, visitors can follow the production process of whisky, beer and sake step by step, all the way to the barrel aging warehouse. Knowing that these spirits are the product of a long line of trials and errors, I found even the lingering finish of the drinks to be deeply satisfying.

It is a flavor you can only truly experience by visiting the brewery.

Garden brightened by flowers

If you come to Okayama, you should definitely stop by Okayama Korakuen Garden.

Courtesy of Okayama Korakuen Garden
A tsukiyama artificial hill is seen behind a pond at Okayama Korakuen Garden.

Created at the order of Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of the Okayama domain, it is one of the finest strolling gardens of the Edo period (1603-1867).

Lawns, ponds, man-made hills and tea houses are arranged throughout the grounds, while a winding stream about 640 meters long enhances the scenery.

From mid-April, azaleas and peonies color the garden, followed in May by Chinese peonies and satsuki azaleas. Okayama Castle, next door, can be reached on foot via Tsukimi Bridge.

The garden is about 10 minutes by bus from JR Okayama Station. Admission is ¥500. Open every day.

Okayama Distillery

A three-minute walk from JR Nishigawara-Shujitsu Station (Nishigawara Station) on the Sanyo Line. Tours are free and begin at 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. However, only the 2 p.m. tour includes tastings and the whisky course costs ¥2,200. Closed Wednesdays, or the following day if Wednesday is a national holiday.

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Japan Tourism is presented in collaboration with Ryoko Yomiuri Publication, which publishes Ryoko Yomiuri, a monthly travel magazine. If you are interested in stories click here. .