Yuza

Founded in 2017 in the city of Yuza, it's the first and only whisky distillery in Yamagata Prefecture. Based near Mount Chokai, the distillery enjoys a climate where the snow is regularly exposed to sea breezes, creating a favorable combination for an abundant source of cold, pure water obviously crucial in crafting the distillery's whiskies. .

Created by Kinryu Corporation, the distillery inherits the spirit of the nine sake brewers who founded the company. A spirit that is expressed through the concept of TLAS for "Tiny, Lovely, Authentic and Supreme". The distillery is indeed particularly small and pretty but with the ambition to create authentic whiskies of "supreme" quality.

Operational since 2018, the distillery produces only strictly Japanese whiskies, in accordance with the criteria established by the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association, and in limited quantities. Their first single malt has been released in 2022 and is already promising with a first award collected at the International Spirit Challenge in San Francisco 2022 (gold medal).