Japanese whisky is attracting keen attention from around the world. Takahiko Inagaki, President and CEO of Wakatsuru Shuzo, which operates the Saburomaru Distillery in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, is striving to cultivate this boom into a culture that will last for 100 years, rather than letting it be a fleeting trend. Under the banner of "The Ultimate Peat," he is working to build the foundation of Japanese whisky culture through the development of the world's first cast still, "ZEMON," the establishment of a barrel workshop, bottler operations, and collaboration between distilleries. His efforts have been recognized with the "PREMIUM JAPAN AWARD 2026." His goal is not merely the success of a single distillery, but to create a system that will pass on Japanese whisky to the next 100 years. We spoke with him to hear his thoughts.

Challenges Beyond the Japanese Whisky Boom

Amidst a global boom in Japanese whisky, the number of distilleries in Japan has increased rapidly. From around 10 distilleries in 2013, the number has expanded to over 100 in just over a decade. However, challenges to the industry's foundation, such as shortages of equipment, barrels, and skilled craftsmen, as well as the need for talent development, have also become apparent. Can this not end as a fleeting boom, but be passed on as a cultural phenomenon for the next 100 years? The Japanese whisky industry is currently at a major crossroads.

The person who is directly confronting this challenge is Takahiko Inagaki, who leads Saburomaru Distillery.

Wakatsuru Sake Brewery was founded in 1862. Blessed with the abundant groundwater of the Tonami Plain, they have continued brewing sake in this area for over 160 years. They began making whiskey in 1952, shortly after the end of the war. In an era when rice shortages prevented them from producing enough sake, Kotaro Inagaki, the second-generation owner and great-grandfather of Mr. Inagaki, embarked on the challenge of "making sake using ingredients other than rice."

The following year, they released "Sunshine Whisky," a name that embodied the hope that a brighter era would return to postwar Japan. Since then, despite facing numerous crises, including a fire at the distillery and a market downturn, the flame of whisky making has been kept alive, supported by the local community.

In order to pass it on, it must be changed.

Ten years ago, after graduating from university and working at an IT company in Tokyo, Inagaki decided to return to Toyama. At that time, Wakatsuru Sake Brewery's main business was sake, and whiskey production was only continued on a small scale during the summer months, accounting for only 5% of total sales. They had not taken any major risks with capital investment or new ventures, and continued to adhere to traditional production methods.

"What should we do with the whiskey business going forward?"

It was at this crossroads that he learned that a bottle of Wakatsuru malt, distilled in 1960, remained in the back of the distillery. The moment Inagaki tasted that whisky, which had been dormant for over half a century, he was struck by "a shock that pierced his brain."

"My great-grandfather made whiskey of this caliber?"

He says that at that moment, he felt a sense of mission not just to run a family business, but to carry on the whiskey business started by his great-grandfather into the future.

"My great-grandfather and I didn't live in the same era. But through a bottle of whiskey, I felt like I was connected to that time. I don't think there are many other alcoholic beverages that can be passed down from descendants to ancestors for over half a century. The raw spirit brewed today won't become a product for several years, sometimes even decades. Even after the brewer is gone, the maturation continues in the barrel, and time is passed on to the people who drink it. I think whiskey is a drink that encapsulates time."

However, that sentiment alone cannot revive the distillery.
Restoring aging buildings and upgrading equipment required enormous sums of money. Even after whiskey is brewed, it takes many years of maturation before it can be sold as a product. Investing in equipment doesn't immediately generate profits. It was an industry that demanded long-term business decisions.

That's when they launched "Saburomaru," a single malt brand named after the distillery. At the time, Wakatsuru Shuzo sold both its second-grade whisky and single malt under the name "Sunshine Whisky," but Inagaki thought that if they were to consider the value of the brand, they should put more emphasis on the distillery's individuality in their single malt.

The first product released to the world was "Saburomaru 1960," which was bottled from raw spirit distilled in a copper pot still during the time of the great-grandfather. Around that time, attention to long-aged Japanese whisky was rapidly increasing worldwide, as evidenced by the high price of "Karuizawa 1960," also distilled in 1960, at an auction in Hong Kong.

"Saburomaru 1960," which awakened from a slumber of over half a century, also received more than four times the number of applications for the planned sales quantity, and was released at 550,000 yen per bottle. This single bottle was the catalyst that made the name "Saburomaru," a single malt brand from Toyama, widely known among whisky enthusiasts both in Japan and abroad.

In addition to the sales of "Saburomaru 1960," the company will use the funds raised through crowdfunding to begin renovations on the distillery.

"Of course, raising funds was important, but what was truly significant was being able to share with many people our reasons for wanting to preserve the distillery and pass it on to the future."

Crowdfunding was not only a means of raising funds, but also a project to gather people who shared a vision for the future of Saburomaru Distillery. The distillery slowly began to move into a new era.

The symbol of this is "ZEMON," the world's first cast iron pot still, completed in 2019.

The origin of the idea was Takaoka copperware, which has been passed down for over 400 years in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture. Could the casting techniques used to make temple bells be applied to whiskey making? From that idea, the world's first cast pot still, "ZEMON," was born through joint development with Rōshi Seisakusho.

"Traditional stills are made by hammering and bending copper plates. On the other hand, ZEMON uses the same casting technique as temple bells, which allows it to have sufficient thickness."

Copper has the ability to remove sulfur components from the distillate, while tin is expected to make the sake smoother. By utilizing the unique properties of copper and tin, a copper-tin alloy was created that achieves the characteristic strength and smoothness of Saburomaru sake. Furthermore, it solves the problems that conventional distillers have faced, such as increased lifespan, improved maintainability, shorter production time, and cost reduction.

"ZEMON wasn't created solely for Saburomaru. We wanted to increase the options available to Japanese distilleries for sourcing equipment domestically."

Traditional industries can decline if they simply continue to produce the same things as before. That's why they are using the techniques of Takaoka copperware, a local craft, in modern manufacturing and connecting it to a new industry. This challenge is not only for Saburomaru Distillery, but also for the future of the entire Japanese whisky industry.

The goal isn't simply to protect the distillery. It's to use the distillery as a starting point to connect Japan's whiskey culture to the next 100 years. From that perspective, Inagaki's challenge expands even further.

An industry cannot grow with just one company.

What Mr. Inagaki is aiming for is not just the development of the Saburomaru Distillery alone, but to build a foundation for the entire Japanese whisky industry to continue for the next 100 years.

"Even if one company succeeds, it won't become a culture. I believe that only when the entire industry thrives will Japanese whisky culture be passed on to the next generation."

One initiative that symbolizes this philosophy is Saburomaru Barrel Workshop's "Re:COOPERAGE".

"We believe our mission is to ensure that not a single drop of this precious Japanese whisky is wasted."

For whiskey, barrels are more than just containers. They can be considered "another ingredient" that nurtures the aroma, color, and flavor through maturation. However, amidst the global whiskey boom, barrel shortages have become serious, prices have soared, and quality variability has also increased.

Furthermore, while the number of barrel makers is declining in Japan, the number of craft whiskey distilleries is rapidly increasing. As a result, many distilleries are unable to repair or restore barrels themselves, and creating an environment to protect their precious raw spirits has become a challenge.

"Compared to 10 years ago, prices have quadrupled at their highest. And the number of leaking barrels has really increased."

The raw spirit, aged over many years, can be lost through gaps in the barrels. To prevent this loss, Saburomaru Distillery established a barrel workshop. They perform "repair" by replacing damaged barrel staves, "remake" by rearranging them according to their intended use, and "re-char" by scraping and re-charring the inside. They breathe new life into each barrel, carefully assessing its unique condition.

"The barrel isn't just a container; it's a raw material. The barrel is also a part of making whiskey."

Protecting the barrels means protecting the raw spirit. And it also means protecting the quality of Japanese whisky.

"Repairing a barrel is more difficult than creating a new one. You have to identify what's wrong with it and repair it to suit that specific barrel. No two barrels are in the same condition."

Currently, there are very few barrel makers in Japan.
At Saburomaru Barrel Workshop "Re:COOPERAGE," the person in charge of barrel restoration and repair is Tomohiro Iwai, a 29-year-old barrel and wooden tub craftsman with 10 years of experience.

"I believe Mr. Iwaizaki is the only craftsman in the world who can handle both barrels and wooden tubs."

Inagaki, who said this, places absolute trust in Iwaizako.

The barrel workshop not only accepts repair work from distilleries across the country, but also focuses on training technicians. The barrel workshop exists not just for Saburomaru; it is expanding its role as infrastructure supporting the entire Japanese whisky industry.

That idea has also led to our bottling business.

In 2021, together with Komei Shimono of the whisky specialty store "Moltoyama," he launched the independent bottler brand "T&T TOYAMA."
Bottlers purchase raw spirits from distilleries, age and blend them themselves, and add new value before releasing them to the market. For distilleries, where it takes many years for raw spirits to become a finished product, bottlers play a crucial role in supporting their finances and distribution channels.

"In Scotland, it's common practice to exchange spirits that each region doesn't have. By bringing together what each region excels at, diversity is created. I hope Japan's industry will become like that too."

There are limits to what a single craft distillery can achieve on the global stage. However, by collaborating while leveraging their individual strengths, new value can be created.

"Through our independent bottling business, we've had more opportunities to showcase the unique characteristics and appeal of each distillery at events and sales fairs where distilleries from around the world gather. Things that are impossible for one company to do become possible when several companies come together, allowing for multifaceted communication."

Culture cannot be fostered through competition alone. Industries grow and develop by supporting each other and leveraging their respective strengths.

The best thing would be for them to actually come and see for themselves.

"The best thing is for people to actually come and visit. When you come to the distillery, you can feel the atmosphere of the place, the people, and the way things are made."

With that in mind, Saburomaru Distillery welcomes visitors as an open distillery. Visitors can learn about the whisky-making process and history while seeing the distillation equipment up close, and there is also a shop, tasting space, and restaurant "Kamado Flamme Sumisaburo" on the premises.

The restaurant serves dishes that utilize the water used in Saburomaru's brewing process and ingredients from Toyama, including rice cooked using repurposed whiskey barrels as fuel. It is a place where you can experience the blessings of the water and land that support sake brewing through food.

On the day of the interview, not only tourists but also locals were arriving one after another, enjoying meals. The distillery was not just a tourist attraction, but also a place for interaction that was integrated into the daily life of the community.

Then, as a new initiative, Inagaki began an effort to introduce craft whiskey distilleries to a wider audience.

"When I first came back, there were only about 10 distilleries in Japan. Now there are over 100. I hope that people will visit not only Saburomaru but also distilleries all over the country."

This idea gave rise to the "Japanese Whisky Passport Copper Stamp Book" project, which involves visiting distilleries across Japan. Similar to the "Railway Stamp Book" used for railway travel, the project allows participants to enjoy traveling while visiting distilleries in various locations and collecting copper stamps.

"Our goal wasn't just to create a project for whiskey lovers. We wanted to create an opportunity for people interested in architecture, craftsmanship, regional culture, and food to visit distilleries throughout Japan."

A journey through distilleries is also a journey to encounter the local culture, food, and traditional crafts. Connecting the "points" of distilleries with the "lines" of travel expands this into the "plane" of Japanese whisky culture. This, too, is an important mechanism for connecting the industry to the future.

What Inagaki aims for is to preserve for the future the very foundation that supports Japan's whiskey industry, starting with the spirit of sake brewing inherited from his great-grandfather, and encompassing the techniques of Takaoka copperware, the work of barrel makers, the supportive relationships between distilleries, and even mechanisms for attracting people to the region and fostering culture.

The number of distilleries in Japan has increased. But culture doesn't grow through numbers alone. What's being asked now is not "increase," but "nurture."

The challenge started by my great-grandfather 100 years ago has now transformed into a challenge looking ahead to the "next 100 years." This challenge, born at Saburomaru Distillery, is not about the future of a single distillery, but about ensuring that Japanese whisky does not end as a fleeting trend, but is passed on to future generations for the next 100 years.
Inagaki spends his days in Toyama, contemplating and struggling with his thoughts.

Wakatsuru Sake Brewery (Saburomaru Distillery)

208 Saburomaru, Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture