Asakura Distillery wins rum's top honour at ISC 2026

Many people think of whisky when they think of Japanese spirits. Now, however, Japanese rum is also starting to attract international recognition. According to a news release distributed via Nishinippon Shimbun me on 28 October 2026, Asakura Distillery in Fukuoka Prefecture has won “Rum Producer of the Year”, the highest honour in the rum category, at the international drinks competition ISC 2026. It is not an award given to an individual brand, but a title bestowed on the rum maker itself.

News from Fukuoka, Kyushu

Fukuoka Prefecture lies in the north of Kyushu island, in south-western Japan. The name Asakura Distillery is thought to derive from Asakura City within the prefecture. This announcement was distributed as a news release and conveys the fact of the award. ISC is an international spirits competition in which a wide range of spirits, including whisky and gin as well as rum, are judged. That a Japanese producer has reached the top of the rum category there can be seen as one example of highly regarded producers emerging from outside the traditional rum-producing regions of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Japanese rum as a new option

Rum is a spirit made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice or molasses. In Japan it is still a field with fewer producers than sake, shochu or whisky, but small distilleries are beginning to take it on with their own interpretations. The primary source for this article gives no details about Asakura Distillery’s raw materials, production methods or the product for which it was honoured. We will therefore have to wait for further information from the distillery to learn what style of rum it is.

For European readers, the things to note first are the title “Rum Producer of the Year” and the name “Asakura Distillery”. Japanese rum is still rarely seen in Europe, but an international award may lead to it appearing more often on the lists of specialist spirits shops and importers of Japanese spirits. If you come across it, first try it neat to appreciate the aroma, then add a little water and compare how the aroma opens up. Tasting it alongside rums from the Caribbean or Latin America may let you sense the differences between producers.