Noboribetsu, the hot-spring town, gets its first whisky distillery

Noboribetsu, in south-west Hokkaido, is known as one of Japan’s leading hot-spring destinations. In this town, the head of a local construction firm has set up a new company and is pushing ahead with plans for the city’s first whisky distillery. The local newspaper Muroran Minpo reported the story in July 2026. Production is scheduled to begin in spring 2027. New distilleries are now appearing one after another across Hokkaido, and this project is part of that trend.

Turning a disused public building into a distillery

The project is led by Enda Koji, representative director of Enda Kensetsu in Noboribetsu. The site is the former Noboribetsu Fujin Center (Women’s Centre), built in 1978 and closed in February 2023. The city-owned building is a three-storey reinforced-concrete structure with a total floor area of about 1,700 square metres. In June 2026 the city invited bids for the sale of the land and building together, and in July it selected Mr Enda’s new company as the preferred buyer following an evaluation. The total project cost is 100 to 200 million yen, and the company will also draw on a national grant that supports regional economic revitalisation. A city official hopes that a facility drawing visitors along the road linking JR Noboribetsu Station and the hot-spring district will create a new flow of people.

A small distillery producing about 6,000 litres a year

The ingredients are malted barley, yeast and water. Annual output will be small, at about 6,000 litres. Besides selling to hotels, restaurants and liquor shops, the company plans to launch a “cask owner scheme”, under which buyers own their own cask and follow the whisky as it matures. The aim is to make whisky that draws on Noboribetsu’s cool climate and abundant water, and to present it to the world. As the new company has no whisky-making experience, it will receive technical guidance from a firm well versed in producing and selling alcoholic drinks. Preparations will proceed while trying out ingredients and equipment.

Aiming for “Hokkaido means whisky”

Mr Enda has visited distilleries across Japan to research the craft. He says the idea came when he saw a common thread between the maturing of whisky and the long workings of the earth that produce hot springs. He notes that distilleries are being built in various parts of Hokkaido on the back of the global whisky boom. He adds that he hopes the distilleries will compete with one another until people say “Hokkaido means whisky”.

European readers will have to wait some time before they can taste Noboribetsu whisky. To be sold as “whisky” in the EU, a spirit must be matured in casks for at least three years. Even if distillation starts in spring 2027, that means it would reach Europe as “whisky” around 2030 at the earliest. For now, it is worth watching for details of the cask owner scheme and whether the unaged new-make spirit will be offered to the public. Every new distillery in Hokkaido is small and its output limited. One way to enjoy them is to follow how the spirit develops in the cold climate by comparing several distilleries.

References and sources

• Muroran Minpo (Hokkaido News Link), “Noboribetsu-made whisky on the way: distillery in the former Fujin Kaikan, new local company aims to start next spring [Noboribetsu]”