Kaikyō Distillery gets an upgrade
Spirits producer and distributor Marussia Beverages has opened its newly renovated Miki production facility for Hatozaki Whisky in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
The newly renovated dual site in Miki includes a redesigned visitor centre for Akashi-Tai Sake Brewery and Kaikyō Distillery, which produces the Hatozaki Whisky and 135° East Gin brands.
The opening ceremony in Miki was held in a traditional Japanese manner, showcasing respect for local customs and the Yonezawa family’s legacy.
The Yonezawa family, now in its fourth generation, has produced Akashi-Tai sake at the site since 1917.
The opening of the new site is said to set the stage for ‘greater capacity, enhanced quality, and a strengthened presence’ both in Japan and worldwide.
According to a spokesperson from Marussia Beverages: “This moment was not only a celebration of a new facility, it was a tribute to the people’s passion and vision that define our work in Japan.”
The upgraded facility is focused on the ageing, crafting, and bottling of Hatozaki Whisky. It collaborates closely with the Akashi facility, where sake, gin, whisky, and liqueurs continue to be produced.
This new dual-site strategy aims to enhance synergy and efficiency, allowing all whisky barrel storage to be consolidated at Miki, resulting in ‘significant logistical advantages’.
Kaikyō Distillery was established in 2017 and is led by master distiller and blender Kimio Yonezawa, also the sake master of Akashi-Tai.
Hatozaki is said to celebrate traditional whisky-making with a Japanese twist, utilising local ingredients including sakura, mizunara, and umeshu oak casks to mature whisky.
The brand launched its Triple Cask Reserve in 2025 and is scheduled to debut its first single malt in 2027.
Earlier this year, The Spirits Business investigated the slowdown in Japanese whisky exports, which, after 15 years of exceptional growth, experienced a decline in 2023 for the first time.
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