Togouchi 9 Years Old 70cl 40°

Togouchi whisky is produced by the Sakurao D&B (ex Chugoku Jozo) distillery. Founded in 1918 at the heart of a mountainous region, nor far from Hiroshima, Sakurao first produced sake, shochu and then turned to whisky ageing and blending when it developed into the Empire of the Rising Sun.

With a century-old expertise acquired in the manufacture of traditional Japanese liqueurs, in 2003 it launched its very first blended whiskey Togouchi. Malt and grain whiskies entering the composition of Togouchi come from Canada and Scotland. The distillery operates the ageing, blending and bottling processes in Japan.

It strikes a big blow in 2021 with the launch of its first Single Malt from its own whisky production.

The Togouchi range is aged in a unique area, at the heart of the mountainous region of West Chugoku. Casks are stocked in a 387 meters long old railway tunnel, carved in the 1970’s. The interior stays at a steady temperature of 14°C all year long, making that tunnel an ideal location to age whiskies. Fresh spring water fetched at the heart of the mountains of the Sandankyo natural park, in the River Oze, is used to dilute whisky for the bottling.

Togouchi whiskies are bottled in an iconic bottle, paying homage to ancestral Japanese know-how. It is inspired by the jars traditionally used by the distillery for ageing shochu.

The history of Japanese whisky starts with Masataka Taketsuru, who spent two years in Scotland after World War II to learn the art of distilling. On his return, Shijiro Torii, founder of Suntory, relies on his knowledge to build the Yamazaki distillery in 1924. Taketsuru takes off and establishes his own company, Nikka. Whisky production really boomed after the Second World War, when the Japanese started to enjoy whisky.