New distillery on a remote Oki island takes on bourbon style
Distillery Drift Mark, a whisky and gin distillery, opened in June in Ama in the Oki Islands, taking on bourbon style, a rarity in Japan.
On 13 June 2026, the whisky and gin distillery Distillery Drift Mark held its grand opening in Ama, a small town in the Oki Islands, which lie in the Sea of Japan off Shimane Prefecture. It is run by AMA Whiskey&Co., founded in the town in June 2024 (President and CEO: Shigeru Yamauchi). A craft gin released before the distillery opened has already won international recognition, and the company is drawing attention as a new producer aiming for the world from a remote island.
A networked island distillery
Distillery Drift Mark is the first distillery to join the Whiskey&Co. Brands Network, a network of small urban distilleries that Whiskey&Co., based in Shibuya, Tokyo (Representative Director: Shohei Omori), is expanding across the country. Whiskey&Co. was founded in 2021 under the banner of “Japanese ‘Bourbon Whiskey’ Style” and operates its own distillery, Distillery Water Dragon, in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture. On opening day, a tasting of whiskey distilled in Mishima and matured in Ama was planned, a glimpse of how this network works, with its sites exchanging spirit between them. The Oki Islands appear in the Kojiki, Japan’s oldest chronicle, and are also known as the “islands of the gods”. The distillery has a Drifter’s Cafe&Bar attached, which also serves as a gathering place for islanders and visitors.
Bourbon style, and a gin made with Oki botanicals
The company’s mainstay is bourbon-style whisky, which few Japanese producers make. Bourbon is generally an American style, known for a mash bill built mainly on corn and for maturation in new, charred oak barrels. However, Drift Mark’s specific ingredients and casks have not yet been disclosed. Meanwhile, its craft gin “GodSpirits”, flavoured with Oki botanicals, has won silver medals at both The Gin Masters 2025, organised by the British trade magazine The Spirits Business, and the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition 2026. A gin that reflects the island’s character thus won recognition before the distillery itself existed.
What European readers should note
The gin is the easiest place to start. GodSpirits, which won silver at a British competition, is a bottle that European gin lovers can compare with their own favourites. You can check the island’s botanical aromas neat or with a little water, and then mix it with tonic. Whisky takes time to mature, so there will be a wait until the first product appears. How will a “bourbon style made on a remote Japanese island”, neither Scotch nor American bourbon, taste? Release information can be found on the company’s official Instagram.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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