[Travelogue] Refreshing Hokkaido - Day 2, First Half

Otaru Kourakuen and headed to one of the destinations for this trip, a tour of the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery. Since we had some time before the tour, we visited the Tenguyama Observatory, which is close to downtown Otaru.

Otaru Kourakuen - Tenguyama Observatory - Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery

The second day was also clear and sunny, and the morning bath felt great!
Even though I ate a lot last night, my stomach and liver were in perfect condition and I was getting hungry.

There were so many dishes for breakfast that I ate too much again. The rice was Yumepirika from Rankoshi, different from last night. They are committed to local ingredients, and I could feel their love for the region.

This seaweed container has a built-in grilling function, so you can eat crispy seaweed.

There were also side dishes for the rice; how much rice do they intend for us to eat?

The staff were all kind and cheerful, and I was impressed by how many young people there were. The person who took care of us spoke Japanese so well that I wondered if they were a local, but they said they had only been in Japan for six years since coming from Korea. We talked about various things while they were serving our meal, and they said that while the winter cold is the same as in Korea, Otaru has so much snow that it is hard to have to shovel it every day. I felt warmed by the message they left when they laid out our futons after dinner.

After leaving the very satisfying Kourakuen, our next destination was the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery, which was the setting for a morning drama, but we had plenty of time before the free guided tour. Since the weather was nice, I looked for an observatory with a good view and found the Tenguyama Observatory, which is about a 30-minute drive from Otaru.

When we actually went, the scenery was truly pleasant, combined with the weather. We could see the mountains on the opposite shore, Ishikari Bay, and the Otaru city area all at once. It was an enjoyable facility with five observatories, an observation restaurant, a zip line, and a slider (slide).

I was lucky to be able to spend my free time meaningfully. Finally, we headed to the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery. Since I intended to drink plenty of whisky, we parked our car at today's accommodation, "Grids Premium Hotel Otaru", and took the train from Otaru Station to Yoichi. (It takes about 25 minutes.)

The Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery is very close, about a 3-minute walk from Yoichi Station. At the station rotary, there was a sign for the morning drama "Massan".

We signed up for the free distillery guided tour. It was very crowded as it was during the summer vacation period, and it was not easy to make a reservation even on a weekday.

The tour lasts about an hour, starting with a classroom session explaining the history of the distillery, the facilities, and the whisky production process.

Masataka Taketsuru (Massan) initially named the company Dai Nippon Kaju Co., Ltd. when he founded Nikka Whisky. The reason was that since whisky takes several years to age after production, they survived on juice sales until the whisky was ready to sell.

It is said that Massan and Rita's private residence was also on the premises.

We were taught the whisky production process: drying, mashing, distillation, and storage/maturation, and were guided through that course.

Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery features iconic equipment called pot stills, which Massan studied in Scotland. Since their introduction in 1935, craftsmen have continued to manually shovel coal into the furnaces for direct coal-fired distillation. It is said to be a rare production method unique to the Yoichi Distillery in the world.

We were also allowed to visit the warehouse, where there was plenty of whisky aging. I wanted to start tasting it soon!

During this maturation process, we were also explained about the Angel's Share.
The "Angel's Share" in whisky refers to the phenomenon where the raw whisky gradually evaporates and decreases during the aging period in barrels.
It is said that this name came from old whisky craftsmen who romantically described it as, "The angels are secretly drinking (taking their share of) the delicious whisky" as the liquor disappears.

Finally, it was tasting time.
Apple wine, Super NIKKA, and Single Malt Yoichi were provided.
Participants can enjoy them however they like, but unfortunately, we were pressed for time and only had about 10-15 minutes, so we couldn't savor them slowly. There was a vending machine for snacks, but there was a line in front of it. Please give us a little more time 🙏.

Since I couldn't savor the free tasting, I paid for four types of malt whisky. The set of Taketsuru, Miyagikyo, and Yoichi was 1,500 yen, and the Yoichi PEATY & SALTY single item was 800 yen. I preferred the regular Yoichi.

Learning about the history and production process of Nikka Whisky and learning about various whiskies made me want to compare them even more. I recommend the free tour.

Since this has become long, the rest will be in the second half of day 2.