Discovering the Mystery of Japanese Whisky Making

I hope you guys like whiskey because today I'm not only going to be drinking it, I'm also going to be making northern Japan's oldest whiskey. It's made in a very unique wind distillery in Kodiyama city. So let's see if I have any talent in making whiskey at all and let's explore the city. Let's go! Don't forget to like and subscribe. Okay, thanks, bye. This is Kodiyama city and it's long been a prosperous city thanks to its connection via canal to one of the largest lakes in Japan, Lake Inawashiro. And it's thanks to this connection to the lake that it actually fed the industries in this city including their incredible sake and whiskey industries. And it's said that the water from this lake being so clear is what makes the whiskey so delicious here. So follow me and let's explore Kodiyama city. Let's go! I am here now at the Asaka Distillery and this facility has actually been here for over 250 years and they started out making sake. But after the war they ended up having a rice shortage so they started making whiskey as well. The reason why this place is called a wind distillery is because it's located downwind of Mount Bandai and climate is a very important factor in making really good sake and also really good whiskey. And if you guys want to give it a try as well, this is actually a buy food tour so you can sign up in the links down below. So let's go make some whiskey! Oh! He's flying up! This is so cool! Wow! I didn't realize it would take three years to make this. This is so crazy. So now I get to try my hand at malt milling. This is a malt mill. So I'm going to open the bag of malt and then pour it in. Oh! That was super satisfying! So you kind of sift through it and you look for clumps and you kind of get rid of the clumps. But otherwise it looks pretty good. The wheat itself feels really cool. Kind of like corn kernels almost. They're really, really stiff. Now that I've done all the hard work of making whiskey, it's time to drink! I'm in a laboratory. Not. So I'm actually getting ready to bottle now. And these are all of the different whiskeys that I get to taste. And I'm going to combine them in the amounts that I wish into an original whiskey blend. Let's go taste! 3, 4, 5. Oh! and smell it. Some people say that the right nose catches a lot of smells and the left nose is better. So the right and left smells are different. Oh, I didn't know that. Please try it. The first one. I am getting this really quite powerful spicy notes. It's strong. I still get this really spicy taste, but it's still smooth. Although it has that alcohol kick to it. The first one. It's spicy. The second one is aged American bourbon barrel. It's been aged for more than 5 years. It's fresher. A little bit fruitier. For me it smells a little bit more like a wine. Oh. Also very strong. The taste is significantly less spicy. I think I get hints of honey as well. So now it's time to actually pour the measurements. Now we're going to put 20 ml in my second one. And I'm blending. That's so cool. I can't believe I'm blending whiskey. This is how you do it. The bottling time. There we go. That's an original blend you guys. That was so much fun. I never thought I would be able to have this experience. This is so cool. Now it's time for the moment of truth. Let's try the original Shizuka whiskey blend. It's a mix of the Japanese and Canadian whiskies. You see. Cheers. Wait. That's really good I think. It is strong, but it's got that really wonderful warm smoky flavor and spicy flavor that I was looking for. This was so much fun to do and I'm so glad I got to learn all about whiskey and make my own bottle. But I'm still not done here in Kodiama City. There's more to do so I'll see you guys at my next place. There is one must try food when you come to Kodiama and it was invented by this bakery right here called Otomo Pan or Otomo Bakery. It's called the cream box. It's a thick cut of Japanese milk bread called shokupan and it's got cream on top. This is what they're famous for here in Kodiama so let's give this a try. I'm blown away by the fluffiness of the bread first of all and the cream on top is really delicious but also really surprising in texture and flavor. It's kind of like a milky custard on top of the bread. We still have a lot more to do in Kodiama today so I'm going to finish this up and let's keep on exploring. During this tour you'll also get an amazing opportunity to dine at the Kitchen Platform. It's a fancy restaurant where you'll get to try innovative dishes crafted by talented chefs offering a unique blend of flavors that will make your dining experience here in Kodiama truly special. They've also prepared a special dessert menu just for this tour using Asaka Distillery's whiskey called Yamazakura which won the world's highest award at the 2022 World Whiskey Awards International Whiskey Competition. Here I am at my next stop. This is a really quaint local rice ball onigiri shop called Takeya. It's been around for about 54 years and it is loved by the locals here. I ended up choosing two different ones because I couldn't decide. Aji Gohan Onigiri and this is the wasabi. It's got a nice like sweet and salty flavor. I can see this being a very popular lunch. Let's try the wasabi. It looks like a deep fried bread. I really like this one. It tastes like onigiri-san. You can see a little bit of green in there. I wouldn't say it's very spicy but there is a very slight wasabi flavor but you get a great crunch with it. I am staying at the hotel Hananoyu. It's a serene onsen retreat that provides a peaceful escape with its cozy accommodations, private bath and 30 public baths that you can enjoy when you stay here. You can also stay here if you join one of our Kogyama tours on ByFood. The day is not over yet so let's keep on exploring because there is much more to do in this city. It is now time for our last activity here in Kogyama City. It does look super dark now but that's because it's winter time and it gets dark at like 5pm these days. So we're going to do a little bit of night vibes glass making here at Fushimiya Glass. So let's go inside and see what we're making today. This shop is beautiful. Okay, I'm super excited. Now I get to start the glass making experience and I'm going to be making my very own coaster. I can't wait. Wow. Alright, so I think this is finished for me. It was very easy to do. Very fun. I love crafting. So now she's going to clean it up for me and we'll wait and see what the finished product looks like. What a beautiful design and I love this antique rustic look. I'm going to take this with me and then I think I'm going to grab one last drink here in Kogyama City before I go home. Let's go. Well, hello. It is now time for me to wrap up my day here in the city with a drink, with a cocktail. A fruit cocktail at one of the most popular bars in Kogyama City. I'm trying the most popular item on the menu which is the watermelon cocktail and they use a very expensive luxurious watermelon for it. And apparently this exact type of watermelon sold in Tokyo for 16,000 yen which is about 110 bucks. So let's give it a try. Kanpai! Mmm! That is so good. The watermelon is really sweet and rich and I love the addition of the salt around the glass kind of like a margarita. Really delicious. If you guys want to do the same things that I did, we actually have two tours in Kogyama for you that you can book on buyfood.com. We have the whiskey tour and the whiskey tour plus bar hopping tour. They are both so much fun so if you're interested, you guys can check those out in the links down below. Hope you guys enjoyed this video. I'm now losing my voice so it's a good place for me to wrap up for today. I had so much fun here and I hope you guys enjoyed it too. If you guys enjoyed this video, please give us a like, comment, share and subscribe and we'll see you guys very soon in another video. Bye guys! And cheers!