Held from 1:00 PM on Sunday, July 12th! 'Japanese Whisky Trail: Asaka Distillery' Featuring Shohei Kuroha, Head Distiller of Asaka Distillery, Sasanokawa Shuzo Co., Ltd.

The Whisky Culture Institute Co., Ltd. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mamoru Tsuchiya) will hold a tasting seminar [Japanese Whisky Trail: Asaka Distillery] titled 'Asaka Distillery: Past and Future – 10 Years of Trajectory and Change' from 1:00 PM on Sunday, July 12th. This seminar invites distillers from across the country, as if traveling around Japan. The lecturer will be Mr. Shohei Kuroha, Head Distiller of Asaka Distillery, Sasanokawa Shuzo Co., Ltd.

● What is the Whisky School?

The Whisky School is a school for learning about whisky that the Whisky Culture Institute has been running since 2001. We have conducted small-scale classes of 10 to 20 people, covering all aspects of whisky including manufacturing, trivia, pairing, and tasting techniques. From October 1, 2023, we have established a new seminar room (Tech Hiroo Building 2F, 1-10-5 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) that can seat up to 81 people, the largest scale ever, and are expanding our whisky school business.

*This event is open not only to bartenders and liquor retailers but also to general enthusiasts.

● Event Overview

Date & Time: Sunday, July 12, 2026, 13:00 – 15:00

Capacity: 80 people

Participation Fee: 5,500 yen (tax included)

Venue: Whisky Culture Institute Seminar Room

〒150-0012 2F, Tech Hiroo Building, 1-10-5 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

● Seminar Content ・History of Sasanokawa Shuzo ・About the 'Cherry,' 'Yamazakura,' and 'Asaka' brands ・General manufacturing (introduction of wooden fermentation tanks, changes in the production site, blending, etc.) ・Future initiatives

● Tasting Items

・Asaka Distillery New Pot (2026 distillation, non-peated) ・Asaka Distillery New Pot (2026 distillation, peated) ・Asaka Distillery & 4 ・Single Malt Asaka 2026 Edition ・Asaka Cask Sample ① ・Asaka Cask Sample ② A total of 6 types are planned.

● Lecturer Mr. Shohei Kuroha (Head Distiller, Asaka Distillery, Sasanokawa Shuzo Co., Ltd.; Manager of Whisky Division)

Born in 1989 in Miharu Town, Fukushima Prefecture. 2010: Joined Mori Trust Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. Worked as a bartender in a hotel lounge for 7 years. 2012: Certified as an HBA Bartender by the Japan Hotel Bartenders Association. 2017: Joined Sasanokawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. Responsible for the entire process from saccharification and fermentation to distillation and barreling as the whisky production manager at Asaka Distillery. 2025: Acquired Whisky Expert certification.

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About the Whisky Culture Institute

The Whisky Culture Institute is an organization for the promotion of whisky culture, led by whisky critic Mamoru Tsuchiya. Since its establishment in March 2001, it has conducted research to deeply study whisky and alcohol culture both in Japan and abroad, and has been collecting and disseminating information. It has also planned, designed, and implemented initiatives aimed at fostering whisky enthusiasts and drinkers, and promoting whisky culture, together with people involved in the industry.

It edits and publishes 'Whisky Galore,' Japan's only whisky-specialist magazine, plans and operates events such as whisky festivals, and organizes the 'Whisky Connoisseur Certification Exam,' a qualification system that tests knowledge and appraisal skills related to whisky, and the 'Whisky Kentei' (Whisky Certification), which tests knowledge for enjoying whisky. It also operates the 'Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC),' Japan's only competition that judges whiskies and spirits from around the world, since 2019.

Profile of Mamoru Tsuchiya, Representative of the Whisky Culture Institute

Mamoru Tsuchiya

Born in 1954 on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Gakushuin University. After working as a weekly magazine reporter, he went to the UK in 1987. He encountered Scotch single malt for the first time in Scotland while on an assignment and became deeply immersed in Scotch. After returning to Japan, he became active as a whisky critic, and in 1998, he was selected by Highland Distillers as one of the 'World's Top 5 Whisky Writers.' He served as a whisky historical supervisor for the NHK morning drama series 'Massan,' which aired from September 2014 to March 2015. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of 'Whisky Galore,' Japan's only whisky-specialist magazine, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition, Chairman of the Executive Committee for Japanese Whisky Day, and Representative Director of the General Incorporated Association Japan Whisky Culture Promotion Association, established in 2024.

His major authored and supervised books include 'The Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch,' 'The Complete Guide to Blended Whisky,' 'The Expanded and Revised Official Textbook for the Whisky Kentei' (Shogakukan), 'Masataka Taketsuru and Whisky' (Tokyo Shoseki), 'The Latest Complete Whisky Bible,' 'The Textbook for Enjoying Whisky' (Natsume Shobo), 'Whisky as Business Culture: Why Premium Whisky Can Sell for 200 Million Yen Now' (KADOKAWA), 'Japanese Whisky as Effective Business Culture' (Soshisha), 'Mamoru Tsuchiya's Whisky 1001 Nights (Volumes 1-5),' and 'Japanese Whisky Yearbook' (Whisky Culture Institute).