About
Located in Kurabuchi Town, Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. Operated by Makino Sake Brewery, founded 1690 on the Kusatsu Kaido road. First single malt 'Kurabuchi' released December 2023. Positioned as a 'local whiskey' leveraging 325+ years of brewing heritage. Uses Kurabuchi's climate and natural features. Grand Prize winner at Kanto Shin-etsu Sake Awards 2006 for their sake 'Osakazuki Daiginjo'.
Production Details
The Kurabuchi Tale
In the mountains of Gunma Prefecture, where the ancient Kusatsu Kaido road once carried travelers toward healing hot springs, the Makino family has been perfecting the art of fermentation since 1690. For over three centuries, their brewery in Kurabuchi Town has drawn from the same mountain waters that now feed Japan's newest whisky venture.
The decision to add whisky to their repertoire came naturally to a family that had already mastered the delicate dance between grain, water, and time. When Makino Sake Brewery Inc. established their distillery in 2023, they weren't abandoning tradition—they were extending it. The same precision that earned their sake 'Osakazuki Daiginjo' the Grand Prize at the 2006 Kanto Shin-etsu Sake Awards now guides their approach to single malt.
The Kurabuchi mountain water speaks in the language of mineral and memory, filtered through ancient rock formations that have shaped this corner of Takasaki City. Here, the Japanese concept of monozukuri—the craftsman's devotion to making things properly—meets the borrowed wisdom of Scottish distillation. Yet this is no mere imitation. The climate of Kurabuchi, with its mountain air and seasonal rhythms, creates conditions unknown to any Highland glen.
In December 2023, just months after production began, the first single malt bearing the Kurabuchi name reached the world. The speed might surprise those accustomed to whisky's patient timelines, but it reflects something deeper: the confidence of a house that has understood fermentation for thirteen generations. This is what they call "local whiskey"—not merely whisky made in a place, but whisky that could only emerge from this specific marriage of mountain water, inherited knowledge, and unwavering dedication to craft.
The stills stand now where sake vats once held dominion alone, part of an unbroken chain of making that stretches back to the age of samurai. In the stillhouse, ancient brewing wisdom converges with new ambition, each drop a bridge between what the Makino family has always known and what they are still learning to become.