Initiated in 2013, the construction of the Akkeshi distillery really starts in 2015 for the first distillations made at the end of 2016. Akkeshi is the second Japanese whisky distillery based on the island of Hokkaido after the famous Nikka's Yoichi distillery and before the potential Niseko distillery. Like her neighbor Yoichi, Akkeshi draws inspiration from the Scottish spirit with Forsyths pot stills, a colder climate and proximity to the sea that allows the whiskies from the distillery to enrich themselves with the iodized air. After several promising "new born malt", the first Akkeshi whiskies are emerging in 2020.