Kirishima 531: A Single Malt Marking the Origins of a Shochu Distillery

Two years and three months for a shochu distillery to take on whisky

Kirishima Yokogawa Distillery is located in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, at the southern tip of Kyushu. It has been making shochu for more than 75 years. Shochu is a traditional Japanese distilled spirit made from ingredients such as rice, barley and sweet potato, and Kagoshima is known as one of its major production regions. The distillery also set out to make whisky, but obtaining a production licence took two years and three months. Throughout that time, the person who worked hardest to secure the licence was Jun Matsumoto, a senior from the high school of someone connected with the distillery. Then, on 31 May 2023, the distillery finally began producing its first whisky. The name of the new product, Single Malt Whisky Kirishima 531, released on 30 August 2026, is taken from that date. Its alcohol content is also set at 53.1% to match. Mr Matsumoto died in March 2026. This bottle carries the distillery’s gratitude to a benefactor who did not live to see it completed.

Three techniques: first-run wort, lactic fermentation and low-temperature distillation

The distillery combines three techniques in its whisky making. The first is to use only the first part of the wort drawn from the malt, known as the first run (ichiban-shibori), which has fewer off-flavours. This forms the basis of a clear, well-defined taste. The second is to encourage the action of lactic acid bacteria during fermentation. By managing temperature and time in its own way, the distillery draws out a fruity aroma reminiscent of ripe fruit. The third is to distil slowly at a reduced temperature. This guards against changes caused by heat and aims for a smooth spirit with less alcoholic sting. For brewing water, the distillery uses “Aoki Mizu”, a natural water from the Kirishima mountains. The whisky is made in a climate with large temperature swings by craftsmen with more than 25 years of experience. It can be called an approach only a shochu distillery well versed in fermentation and distillation could take.

Layering Mizunara, sherry and red wine casks

Kirishima 531 is a single malt matured for more than three years from the first day of production in 2023. Craftsmen blend spirits matured mainly in three types of cask: Mizunara, sherry and red wine. Mizunara is a species of oak native to Japan, known as a cask wood that gives whisky a distinctive aroma. The bottle holds 700 ml and costs 13,500 yen (tax included). It is sold through the official online shop, with shipping scheduled to begin in sequence from the end of September 2026.

For now, no official distribution in Europe has been announced. However, the distillery is looking for overseas distributors that can trade from a single case. Any future moves towards importing will be worth watching. Three years of maturation is the same as the minimum required for a spirit to be called whisky in the EU. That makes this bottle a way to find out how the spirit from a new distillery has developed. At 53.1%, the strength is on the high side, so one approach is to first smell it neat. Then add a few drops of water and compare how the fruity aroma and the character of the cask open up. The distillery’s official YouTube channel (in Japanese) also features a video comparing its own spirit with other Japanese single malts, which offers a clue to the direction of its flavour.