morning glory Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Daisuke Tezuka), which connects excellent Japanese products to the world, has announced a limited collaboration whisky that harmonizes Japanese whisky from SAKAZUME Co., Ltd.'s Mitake Distillery, a company with approximately 200 years of history, with art by Taiwanese design master Mr. Idea Hsieh. The project was launched on the crowdfunding platform "CAMPFIRE" on June 27, 2026 (Saturday).

This project features original spirits bottled at cask strength, with no added water, using extremely rare unseasoned sherry casks aged for 30 to 40 years.

This is a special edition that allows you to savor the deep sweetness and rich aroma derived from the sherry casks as they are. Four types of bottles are available, themed "Earth, Water, Fire, Wind." Approximately 500 bottles of each type will be sold worldwide (per specification), with only 8 bottles of each sold in Japan, each engraved with a serial number.

In addition to its value as a whisky, this limited edition model offers a world-class dram as a collectible, an art piece, and "edible art."

The label design was handled by Mr. Idea Hsieh, a representative artist in the Taiwanese design world, proposing new value that transcends borders as "Whisky × Art," a fusion of Japanese craftsmanship and Taiwanese artistry.

With the philosophy of "Connecting Japan's pinnacle with the world," morning glory Inc. disseminates Japanese brewing culture and traditional crafts globally.

Through this project, we aim to widely convey the charm of Japanese culture, starting with Japanese whisky, both domestically and internationally.

[Project URL] "CAMPFIRE" [Delivering a World-Class Dram Crafted by Kagoshima Artisans. We Want to Deliver a Limited Collaboration Whisky.] https://camp-fire.jp/projects/928870/view

[Inquiries Regarding This Matter]

morning glory Inc.

Public Relations: Tezuka, Ozaki

e-mail: info@morningglory.co.jp

Details below.

We at morning glory are a company that operates with three core principles:

"Connecting Japan's pinnacle with the world" "Bringing heartfelt joy to our customers" "Continuously contributing to the dissemination and development of Japanese culture"

Japan has countless treasures that it can be proud of to the world.

However, they have not yet reached the world sufficiently.

We aspire to be a bridge that connects Japan's excellent products to the world and links creators with people worldwide through "joy."

With this passion, we have delivered sake born from traditional Japanese brewing to the world and have also helped spread the artisanal techniques cultivated in Japan globally.

Whisky was introduced to Japan around the end of the Edo period.

Then, in 1923, authentic whisky production began in Japan.

Approximately 100 years have passed since then. Japanese whisky has now grown to become one of the world's five major whiskies.

However, behind each bottle lies an unfathomable amount of time and uncompromising passion.

The casks to be used this time are unseasoned sherry casks that have been used for aging sherry for 30 to 40 years in the Jerez region of Spain.

Several decades pass for a single cask to be born.

Whisky then further ages within that cask. An amount of time comparable to a human lifespan flows there.

The stage is Kagoshima, at the Mitake Distillery located on a mountain overlooking Sakurajima (formerly known as Mitake).

Although it is a new distillery that began distilling in 2019, its parent company, SAKAZUME, is a long-established company with nearly 200 years of history and culture in shochu production.

The uncompromising spirit of the Satsuma Hayato, the pride and backbone of Kagoshima artisans, quietly yet powerfully breathes within the cask.

"The ever-changing scenery is deeply moving ~ Japanese history and culture, Taiwanese history and culture, and your life are connected by a single bottle of whisky ~ Then, tomorrow will surely be bright."

A bottle of whisky is not just alcohol. It contains Japanese history, a connection with Taiwan, and the time of your life who holds it.

Whisky is a universal language.

Through this universal language, we want to deliver Japan's pride to the world. We want to reignite the light in Japan, which has been losing some of its vitality. We believe that light will surely shine the next morning. With this belief, we chose the name "morning glory."

The labels adorning this limited collaboration whisky were created by Mr. Idea Hsieh, a leading artist representing Taiwan.

A Leading Figure in the Taiwanese Design World

Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in 1949. Graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the National Taiwan University of Arts in 1969.

Afterwards, while being at the forefront of management in the construction and real estate industries, he consistently remained involved in the world of art and design.

In 1982, he was appointed Chairman of the Chinese Society of Graphic Design.

He held the "Exhibition of Famous Asian Designers" at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, inviting leading Japanese designers such as Tadanori Yokoo, Kazumasa Nagai, and Kiyoshi Awazu to Taiwan.

He left a significant mark on Asian design exchange.

International Artistic Activities

From 1971 to 1999, he participated in domestic and international exhibitions as part of the "Amoeba Design Association."

In 1992, he toured art-advanced countries in Europe, including France, Italy, and Spain.

From 1994 onwards, he spent two months each year in New York for about 10 years, engaging in creative activities there.

His refined sensibility, honed not only in Taiwan but also on stages in Europe and America,

has been sublimated into a "universal aesthetic" that transcends borders.

From Management to Pure Art

Since 2012, he has retired from the front lines of design and management and has devoted himself entirely to artistic creation.

Since then, he has held an average of one solo exhibition per year.

He has exhibited at major art fairs in Taipei, Beijing, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and other cities.

His works have been exhibited and collected by museums, and his main collectors are corporate executives.

The transaction prices for his works often reach several million yen.

The Resonance of "Whisky × Art"

Mr. Idea Hsieh's works possess a worldview that evokes the ebb and flow of life, the fluidity of time, and spirituality.

This resonates with the image of whisky quietly aging in a cask.

A limited collaboration whisky created by artisans in Kagoshima.

Upon this, the soul of a leading Taiwanese artist is layered.

A single bottle is elevated from "a drink to be consumed" to "a culture to be passed down."

The Man Who Has Connected Japan and Taiwan for 38 Years

Behind this project lies the story of one businessman.

Ching-Ching Chang

A person who has been connecting Japan and Taiwan for over 38 years.

As the Chairman of "Kihow International," which deals with ceramic materials for passive components, he has been involved in trade with Japan and has visited Japan over 600 times.

Through his repeated travels to Japan, he encountered the Japanese spirit of craftsmanship, which cannot be described in terms of efficiency or mass production.

Deeply moved by this spirit, it eventually marked the beginning of his journey to collect the culture of "Japanese whisky."

Mr. Nishi, the president of SAKAZUME, who leads the Mitake Distillery, and Mr. Adam, the president of Chief Whisky and a leading Taiwanese whisky collector.

Despite their different countries and cultures, the only things they shared were "respect for authenticity" and "a deep love for whisky." Their philosophies resonated with each other, and their strong attraction set this special project in motion.

The artisanal techniques honed in Kagoshima and the aesthetic judgment that has evaluated whiskies from around the world.

When these two elements converged, a bottle with unprecedented value was born.

It is not merely a collaboration, but a "work born from respect."

This is a special whisky created with the world in view, to be delivered to the world.

The limited collaboration whisky is a Japanese whisky embodying the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship, produced at the Mitake Distillery, located in a place overlooking Kagoshima's Sakurajima (formerly Mitake).

Japan is one of the world's five major whisky-producing regions, alongside Scotland, Ireland, the United States, and Canada. Among these, Japanese whisky has gained global recognition for its delicacy and high level of perfection, and is now spoken of as a culture.

While the Mitake Distillery began distilling in 2019, its parent company, SAKAZUME, is a long-established company that has been producing shochu for approximately 200 years. The uncompromising spirit of the Satsuma Hayato has been passed down to its whisky production.

A major characteristic of the limited collaboration whisky is "maximizing the individuality of the cask."

Whisky's flavor varies greatly not only by distillery but also by cask. What is used this time are rare sherry casks nurtured over a long period of 30 to 40 years.

The original spirits are carefully aged according to the individuality of each cask.

This is how the limited collaboration whisky, with its four characteristics of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, was born.

Each is a limited production of approximately 500 bottles, with serial numbers. The number of bottles varies depending on the cask's aging condition, and the same taste will never be produced again.

The soul of Kagoshima artisans.

200 years of Japanese brewing culture. And the story of casks that have marked long years.

The limited collaboration whisky is a bottle that embodies time and pride, worthy of pride to the world.

Furthermore, this product will be offered at cask strength.

Cask strength means it is bottled in its complete, undiluted form, with no added water. Its aroma and flavor are bottled in their most concentrated state, directly conveying the distillery's philosophy and the cask's individuality without any dilution.

Upon tasting, a deep aftertaste spreads with a powerful viscosity. It is packed with vast information woven by time, skill, and nature.

Furthermore, by adding a few drops of water, the aroma and flavor slowly change—it is truly an experience of completing it yourself.

There is a luxurious time of nurturing the flavor, rather than just drinking it.

In a word, it is "the potential of whisky brought out 100%."

From "Drinking" to "Preserving and Transmitting"

Initially, Japanese whisky was merely a drink to be enjoyed during business meetings.

However, as I experienced its meticulously designed aroma and flavor, its obsession with aging, and the individuality created by casks and time, I became convinced that "this is not just alcohol. It is the very essence of Japanese aesthetics."

Sharp market sense and resonance with manufacturing that pursues perfection to the extreme led him from "drinking" to collecting and "preserving, protecting, and transmitting." Its true value is not just its rarity.

"Being complete," "being able to be told as a lineage."

Complete collection of the legendary Hanyu "Card Series," full sets of Ichiro's Malt "Card Series," treasures like Yamazaki 35-year-old and the 1979 Mizunara Cask.

This is an endeavor to preserve the history of Japanese whisky itself.

Chief Whisky — Where Whisky and Art Resonate

Chief Whisky is a whisky museum born with the aim of inheriting whisky as a cultural experience, not just a luxury item, into the future.

The theme set forth by founder Ching-Ching Chang is "Whisky × Art."

There is a new value proposition: "whisky to feel, talk about, and share," rather than "whisky solely for drinking."

Within the museum, in addition to rare whisky collections, we feature art labels created in collaboration with artists and special exhibition spaces where whisky and art merge.

By savoring the background—the time, land, people, philosophy, and aesthetic sense contained within a single bottle—whisky transforms from a "drink" into an "experience."

And from this philosophy, the limited collaboration whisky was born.

This bottle, where art and sensibility merge, is created not just to be owned, but as an entity that inscribes life's memories and stories.

What we want to achieve is "to build a foundation for disseminating Japanese culture to the world, starting with Japanese whisky."

While whisky originated in Scotland, it is now loved worldwide and is a universal language that everyone knows.

And Japan is a country that plays a role as one of the world's five major whisky-producing regions. With its delicacy and uncompromising manufacturing, it receives high praise from around the world.

Therefore, we want to start this challenge with what we are most confident in: "whisky."

We want to deliver Japan's beloved culture, first to the people of Japan, and then to the world. As a first step, we want this limited collaboration whisky to be an opportunity for people to learn about morning glory Inc.

morning glory—in Japanese, "asagao" (morning glory).

The flower language of the morning glory is "bond" and "overflowing joy." No matter how dark the night, morning always comes. We have put our desire to revitalize Japan into our company name.

What we are delivering this time is a special bottle crafted on a mountain overlooking Kagoshima's Sakurajima (formerly Mitake). Furthermore, it is produced by President Adam, a leading Taiwanese whisky enthusiast, in collaboration with a renowned Taiwanese artist.

Craftsmanship of brewing masters Sherry casks marked by 30-40 years of history World-class artistry

Rarity × Rarity × Rarity.

Through this whisky, we want to convey "Japan's seriousness" to the world.

And beyond that, we envision a future.

In the future, we plan to open pop-up shops overseas, creating hubs to introduce cultural products, sake, sweets, and miscellaneous goods from various regions of Japan.

We want to create places in cities around the world where people can experience Japanese culture. We aim to expand into a business that creates "spaces that evoke Japan," not just simple retail.

This project is the first step towards that grand dream.

From a single bottle of whisky to the future of Japan.

Please walk this challenging path with us.

If you are interested, we would appreciate your support by "favoriting" the project and spreading the word.

We will continue to introduce attractive products by leveraging our relationships with SAKAZUME and other domestic distilleries, as well as sake breweries.

If you have any products you are looking for or any requests, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to your continued patronage of morning glory Inc.

morning glory Inc.

Nihon Meihin Honpo

Curated by morning glory

Whisky × Art Limited Collection

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: 商品発表
  • Organizations: CAMPFIRE / Chief Whisky