Welcome to the first out of a three-part series where we share with all our readers on JR Times, our recent adventure in Toyama Prefecture (富山県)! For veteran travellers, you may already be familiar with this quaint prefecture located along the north coast of Japan.
For those who are not familiar, Toyama Prefecture is located in the Chubu Region (中部地方). Toyama actually means “rich with mountains”, and it truly lives up to its name—it offers stunning views of a series of 3,000m peaks belonging to the Northern Japanese Alps (日本アルプス). Located just 2 hours away from Tokyo by Hokuriku Shinkansen (北陸新幹線), it makes for a perfect stop along the Sea of Japan for those planning to travel westwards to Osaka or Kyoto.
With its ideal geographical location, there are plenty of local delicacies you can enjoy during your visit. With that, we would like to introduce to you Wakatsuru Saburomaru Distillery (若鶴三郎丸蒸留所 Wakatsuru Saburomaru Jōryūsho) by Wakatsuru Shuzo (若鶴酒造). It is the only distillery in the Hokuriku Region (北陸地方), and we are grateful to have the opportunity to have a tour of its facilities.
Wakatsuru Saburomaru Distillery
Located just a 1-minute walk from Aburaden Station (油田駅), Wakatsuru Saburomaru Distillery’s roots can be traced back to 1862 when they began manufacturing sake (酒) in Toyama Prefecture. The brewery was named Wakatsuru (若鶴 young crane) with a spirit and passion that had been passed down through generations and a hope to increase people’s happiness. Soon after the end of World War II, despite the shortage of rice, they proceeded to obtain a licence to produce whisky in 1952. With the tremendous support of the local people, Saburomaru Distillery was reborn as the only whisky distillery open to the public in the Hokuriku Region.
Let the tour begin: Learning the process of whisky-making
We began our tour on the 2nd floor where there was an exhibition of the history of the distillery and manufacturing process. We met our guide Tonomura-san (殿村さん) from “Mizu to Takumi” Toyama West Tourism Promotion Association (一般社団法人 富山県西部観光社 水と匠 Ippan shadanhōjin Toyamaken Seibu kankō-sha ’Mizu to Takumi’), who introduced to us the main ingredient used in whisky-making: two-rowed barley (二条大麦). What makes these so special is that they are imported from Scotland, and smoked with peat and coal to create a unique smoky flavour. The germinating barley dried in this way is called malt. Before COVID-19, guests were allowed to sample the malt, which was a popular snack amongst whisky fans who would eat it while drinking whisky.
We were next introduced to the mashing and fermentation process. Tonomura-san explained to us that the malt is crushed into various sizes based on how fine it becomes. The different crushed malt is then mixed in their golden ratio of 2:7:1.
The finely grounded malt is mixed with warm water at 64ºC. This triggers saccharification that changes starch into sugar. The end product of this step is called bakujū (麦汁 wort). Tonomura-san shared that the bakujū is said to be sweeter than that of watermelon, melon, grapes, and even peaches in Japan. Whisky is produced from June to September, and if you’re lucky enough to visit during those months, you can get to sample some sweet bakujū!
Once the bakujū is made, it is transferred to a fermenter, and yeast is added for fermentation. This helps to break down the sugar in the bakujū and change it to alcohol and carbon dioxide, which creates the distinctive aroma and taste of whisky.
And here is the icon of Saburomaru Distillery! It is the world’s first cast pot still. With Toyama Prefecture also being famous for its copper, these were made by local craftspeople of Takaoka copperware. Malt whisky is made by distilling twice using a single copper distiller and the angle of the pipe also determines how strong the flavour and aroma of the whisky will turn out to be. This process takes 5–6 days to produce what is called New Pot (ニューポット), which has a high alcohol percentage of about 70%.
The whisky that is produced is originally colourless and transparent, and the aroma varies depending on the cask that it is stored in. The lifeline of whisky, the art of whisky, is actually the cask. As for the colour of the whisky, this is determined by the years it has been aged in the casks.
Before heading down to the 1st floor of the distillery to continue our tour, we were able to enjoy a short projection video in their traditional muro (室), an old moult nursery room. The video explained the history of the distillery as well as some more in-depth information about whisky.
It’s time to have a look at the warehouse’s 1st floor. Here, we were taught more about the storing and ageing process of the whisky, such as how the placement of the casks could affect the whisky, as well as the insides of the casks and how important of a role they played in the process of whisky-making.
One of the more interesting parts of the tour was when Tonomura-san pointed out the wood extract liquid that was produced on the casks as a result of the whisky being stored in the casks.
Time to sample!
Having concluded the tour of the warehouse, we were then led to the sampling area where we got to try some of the whisky as well as sake produced by Wakatsuru Shuzo. We were even more ecstatic when Tonomura-san brought little cups of soft-serve ice cream to pair with the whisky. He shared with us that the milk used in the ice cream comes from cows which were fed sake lees, which made the ice cream extra creamy and delicious!
Of course, what’s a tour without a souvenir shop? Despite our limited time in the distillery and warehouse grounds, we managed to squeeze in a bit of time for some shopping! Having learnt about the whisky-making process, we felt that we had to bring back at least 1 bottle to remember this trip. There were so many to choose from, including their famous UMESKY plum whisky, and there were also smaller-sized bottles that came in a party pack of 3. Also with Father’s Day approaching, there were sets paired with otsumami (おつまみ) to make for the perfect gift.
Wakatsuru Saburomaru Distillery (若鶴三郎丸蒸留所)
Address: 208 Saburomaru, Tonami, Toyama 939-1308
Access: 1-minute walk from Aburaden Station (油田駅)
Connect with our friends at Wakatsuru Shuzo!
Want to find out more about the places we visited in Toyama Prefecture? Head down to JAPAN RAIL CAFE on 21 June 2022 for Toyama Night, as we recount our latest adventure in this quaint prefecture. This special event includes a tasting session of Wakatsuru’s very own “UMESKY” plum whisky and Takaoka wagashi ramune (高岡和菓子ラムネ) from Onoya (大野屋).
Date: 21 June 2022 (Tuesday)
Time: 7pm (Singapore Time) / 8pm (Japan Time)
Venue: JAPAN RAIL CAFE
Header image credit: JR East / Sue Lynn
