Tenkyo Co., Ltd. was founded in 2018
as an alcohol production and sales company,
combining the Tenkyo Distillery
for whisky production and
the Eisen Sake Brewery
for Japanese sake production
Founder: Shunsuke Koike
In 2015, while studying in the UK,
he visited a Scottish distillery and was struck
by the incredible
taste of the whisky
they produced.
They preserved 400 years of
tradition while continuously
taking on new
challenges.
The founder first encountered
authentic Scotch whisky shortly
after turning
20 years old.
He was captivated by the allure
of whisky and
continued to deepen
his knowledge.
A Vision for the Future
Before long, he began dreaming of building
a distillery
like those in Scotland and creat
ing
whisky that could surpass
even Scotland's.
He had three main goals: First,
how to ensure
the survival of his family's
retail business amidst Japan's declining
population due to aging demographics.
Second, he wondered what he could do
for the Aizu region,
his hometown,
which was predicted to become
a disappearing city
in the future.
Third, he simply wanted to bring the allure
of whisky
to as many people as possible.
This was the vision the founder had in mind.
In 2019, he returned to Scotland and visited
over 60 distilleries.
His passion and dedication resonated
with the people there,
and he formed deep
bonds with them. Learning from them,
he made the decision to build
a world-renowned distillery right here
in Aizu Bandai, and to craft whisky that
the world would be proud of.
Precious Water
Upon returning to Japan, he sought out
a location for the distillery,
driven by the importance of water he had
learned about in Scotland.
He then partnered with Eisen Sake Brewery,
a local group of experts in sake brewing.
Eisen Sake Brewery was founded by Eishiro
Miyamori in
the second year of
the Meiji era (1869). The name of the sake,
'Eisen ni Mimi o Arau,' comes from an old
saying that
symbolizes avoiding worldly
success and instead striving
for a taste that
surpasses fame.
This philosophy has been
passed down continuously
in Eisen Sake
Brewery's approach to sake-making since its
founding.
He believed their traditions and
techniques would play a crucial role
in whisky-making. Moreover,
the area is home to one of Japan's
famous
waters, selected as one of the top 100.
There was no hesitation in his decision
to establish the distillery here.
Our Distillery of Exceptional
Craftsmanship
The distillery setup was planned in
collaboration with Forsyths,
the world’s leading still manufacturer,
and the design underwent 19 revisions just
for the blueprints alone.
Additionally,
they adopted the HAZOP（Hazard and Opera
bility Studies) method,
widely used by many
Scottish distilleries,
and obtained a safety evaluation
from
a specialist technical engineering company
in the UK.
The Journey Begins
Six years since the initial concept,
and two years after a tragic accident,
the Tenkyo Distillery that
he envisioned
began distillation here in Aizu Bandai,
near the national park, in 2024.
With his dreams at its core,
the Tenkyo Distillery has embarked
on its journey to the world.