History

Miyake Honten Co., Ltd. was founded in 1856 (the 3rd year of the Ansei era) in Kure City, Hiroshima. SETOUCHI DISTILLERY is located in the Setouchi region and is a Japanese distillery in Hiroshima. Sake production has for more than a hundred years been at the core of the company, shaped by the goal of preserving tradition while daring to push boundaries. According to the company’s spiritual narrative, they began developing Setouchi Craft Gin in 2020, and in 2021 expanded to whisky production. To achieve the desired flavor, they have imported a complete range of distillation equipment, and the facility is compact with around 1,000 liters capacity. The aim is to share the beauty and character of Setouchi nature with the world through whisky, gin and other products.

Production / Manufacturing

The distillery is located in Kure and benefits from Setouchi’s mild climate and local raw materials. Water is drawn from Mt. Haigamine via their own wells 60 meters underground and is described as soft water with mild minerals, contributing to the various drinks. For production, advanced equipment imported specifically for their needs is used; the plant is small (about 1,000 liters) but is used to create the desired flavor. Whisky production relies on letting nature and the climate leave their mark during aging, and the first two whiskies are expressed through natural maturation: unfiltered and without coloring, and bottled as single cask. Fermentation for the whiskies uses slow fermentation with multiple yeast strains; in line with the knowledge from sake production, fermentation often proceeds longer than usual (around 1.5 times longer in some cases). Aging occurs in selected casks, including Oloroso casks, and the whiskies are bottled without chill filtration and without coloring to preserve natural flavors.

Products

Whisky

• Whisky Setouchi New Born 濑户内 – AGED 1 YEAR – 700 ml, 47% ABV. Described as single malt and single cask in the product description, produced from a non-peated malt from Australia. Aged for over a year under the Setouchi climate and bottled without chill filtration.
• Whisky Setouchi New Born 濑户内 – AGED 2 YEARS – 700 ml, 47% ABV. The same base as the 1-year version, but aged for over two years; to highlight the malt, an Oloroso cask is used for aging; unfiltered and without coloring.
• Whisky Setouchi 单一麦芽 日本威士忌濑户内 欧罗素雪莉桶 – 700 ml, 47% ABV. A Japanese single malt (Single Malt Japanese Whisky) that comes from non-peated malt (UK malt according to the English product page), and matures in Oloroso sherry casks for over three years. Unfiltered and bottled as a single cask to preserve natural flavors.
• New Pot Setouchi – 200 ml, 59% ABV. A whisky produced in Setouchi and bottled immediately after distillation. Contains malt and grain.

Interfaces and other products such as Plum Wine are mentioned on the site, but in this overview the focus is only on the Whisky products.

Visits and Experiences

• Guided tours are not offered at the distillery. Products can be purchased in the gallery, where one can gain access to acquire Setouchi products directly.

Philosophy

• Spirit and approach: Setouchi Distillery describes a place where water, climate, and local craftsmanship come together to enrich the beverages. They refer to Setouchi as an area created by the sun and the sea; water is sourced from Haigamine Mountain via wells 60 meters deep, which provides soft water and contributes to drinkable flavors. The distillery’s philosophy describes a desire to preserve tradition, while seeking new ways to share Setouchi flavors with the world – a stance reflected in the development of gin in 2020 and whisky in 2021.