Hakushu is the second distillery of Suntory, finished in 1973 in the forest on the slopes of Mount Kaikoma with 6 pairs of identical pot stills.1,2,3 In May 2013 it also began making grain whisky in a small column still.4,5
Suntory's president, Keizo Saji, wanted a different type of spirit from Yamazaki, and chief blender Tameo Onishi searched the country for the right water.1,2,3 A second still house, the building that holds the stills, followed in 1977, giving 12 pairs of stills and 44 stainless steel washbacks.
Delicate and refined, it combines green tea, apple and pear compote, vanilla, and fresh citrus, with lively menthol and resinous wood.
Lychee and honey.
In 1981 Suntory built a new still house with smaller stills of many shapes, as it turned to making many kinds of spirit.5,6 The big old stills also made a light spirit that was not the style Saji and his team wanted.5,6 From June 1988 the old houses were called Hakushu West and the new one Hakushu East, and Hakushu West soon stopped making spirit.5,6 The 1977 still house was later pulled down, while the 1973 one still stood, unused, in 2018.5,6
Two of its pot stills were renewed in 2005.4 Grain whisky equipment, including a small column still, went in during December 2010, and after about 2 years of tests production began in May 2013.4,5 In 2014 Suntory added two pairs of pot stills, for 8 pairs in all.7,8 The project cost about 1 billion yen and was meant to raise capacity by 30%.7,8 It now has 8 wash stills for the first distillation, 8 spirit stills for the second, and one column still.5 Its wooden washbacks, the tanks where fermentation happens, went from 12 in 1981 to 18, after 2 were added in 2011 and 4 in 2012.4,5 They are made of Douglas fir.4 Its production water is soft and pure, having passed through layers of ancient granite rocks.4
In 2024 Suntory finished a renewal that added floor malting, where soaked barley is spread on a floor and turned so it sprouts evenly.9,10 The distillery also began growing yeast on site.9,10
Every bottle in Peated with a vintage year.
Bottles in Peated distilled at Hakushu Distillery, by release year.
| Year distilled | Bottles |
|---|---|
| 1937 | 1 |
| 1969 | 1 |
| 1989 | 1 |
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2003 | 9 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 18 |
| 2009 | 7 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 4 |
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