Japanese whisky has always carried an air of myth—partly because of scarcity, partly because of the sense of careful, almost monastic devotion to craft. Now, Takara Shuzo International is offering whisky enthusiasts a rare chance to glimpse the beginning of something historic with the UK launch of Kurokabegura New Make Spirit, an early preview of the first single malt whisky to come from the Kurokabegura Distillery in Miyazaki.
Inside Kurokabegura New Make Spirit
Bottled at a fiery 63% ABV, Kurokabegura New Make Spirit is a bold and unapologetic introduction. Its slimline glass decanter, decorated with traditional shodo brushwork calligraphy, hints at the deep cultural roots behind the project. The spirit itself opens with notes of raisin, banana, and honey, before giving way to a lingering malt richness—an unapologetically raw portrait of a whisky before the years of wood and time begin their work.
This release isn’t just about flavor; it’s about lineage. Whisky has been made at Kurokabegura Distillery since 1982, though the site was better known for its award-winning shōchū. The stills themselves—copper pots designed and built by McMillan Coppersmiths in Scotland in 1979—were modeled after the legendary stills at Shirakawa Distillery, a facility north of Tokyo that once quietly produced Japanese whisky before closing in 2003.
Tomatin and Takara Shuzo
The connection to Shirakawa runs deeper still. In 2019, Stephen Bremner, managing director of Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, traced the forgotten history of Takara Shuzo’s whisky operations. His research uncovered not just stories and documents, but one last surviving parcel of Shirakawa single malt. That parcel became Shirakawa 1958, released in 2022 and widely recognized as the earliest vintage Japanese whisky ever bottled.
Where Shirakawa was a rediscovered relic, Kurokabegura represents continuity—a passing of the torch. Takahiro Shimizu, Executive Officer at Takara Shuzo International, describes the new make as “testament to the high quality of our spirit,” pointing to the distillery’s cooperage and its experience managing more than 85 expressions of shōchū. Each cask, he notes, is meticulously prepared and maintained, ensuring the eventual single malt will be worthy of the name.
Bremner draws parallels between Takara Shuzo’s approach and that of Tomatin: “quiet dedication,” he calls it. He also sees a rising trend in enthusiasts purchasing new make spirits, not for immediate drinking, but to witness how raw malt evolves over time. For those who collect whisky with an eye toward history, Kurokabegura offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Availability
For now, the new make is highly limited. It’s available at the Tomatin Distillery Visitor Centre, via the Tomatin online shop.
