Master distiller and blender Kimio Yonezawa produced Hatozaki pure malt and Hatozaki blended at his family’s distillery in the port town of Akashi.
Last month, Marussia began distributing his 135°EAST gin in seven international markets: the UK, the US, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Russia.
Yonezawa created the new Hatozaki range using mature barrel stocks warehoused at the family distillery.
Hatozaki pure malt (46% abv) uses single malt whiskies aged in bourbon, sherry and mizunara casks for a minimum of five years. Hatozaki blended features “an artisan blend of whiskies” and has an abv of 40%.
Yonezawa named the range after Akashi’s ancient lighthouse. It was built in 1657, making it the oldest in Japan, and it features on the bottles.
He said: “I wanted to make a whisky that honoured Scotland’s finest but also embodied our own unique Japanese influence and flavours.
“It had to reflect the mild, maritime climate of my home town of Akashi which I considered an excellent factor in aging whisky, the design of our pot stills and the great team we have here at the Kaikyo Distillery, where my family has been distilling since 1917.”
Priority markets for the brand are the USA, France and the UK. In the UK, the blended expression has an rrp of £34 and pure malt RRP is £46 for a 70cl bottle.
Sarah Gandy, head of marketing for Marussia Beverages, said: “Hatozaki whisky is the latest addition to Marussia Beverages’ growing portfolio of Japanese spirits brands, along with our recently launched 135°EAST ‘Hydro Dry Gin’ and our popular range of Akashi-Tai artisan sake. We’re excited about the launch.”
