Shizuoka Distillery was founded in 2016 by Taiko Nakamura at the foot of the Abe Pass in Shizuoka Prefecture. The distillery houses two sets of stills: a modern pair and a pair of wood-fired pot stills salvaged from the legendary Karuizawa distillery, which closed in 2011. The Contact S series uses the Karuizawa stills — 'S' for Shizuoka, with 'K' releases using the other stills — creating a direct physical connection to one of the most celebrated and mourned distilleries in Japanese whisky history.
The wood-fired distillation adds a subtle smokiness to the spirit that gas or steam heating cannot replicate. It is a delicate influence — more a gentle warmth than a genuine peat character — but it gives Shizuoka's spirit a distinctive quality. Combined with the clean, fruit-forward character that careful Japanese distillation produces, the result is a whisky of unusual subtlety and depth.
Shizuoka is one of the most exciting new distilleries in the world. The quality of the spirit — even at this early stage — is remarkable, and the connection to Karuizawa through the salvaged stills adds a dimension of continuity and respect that transcends marketing. As the distillery's stocks mature, the potential for extraordinary whisky is clear. Already, Shizuoka Contact S demonstrates that the next great Japanese distillery may already exist.
