Draft:Tankyu Distillery

  • Comment: Some evidence of AI usage on this draft. In addition the tone is promotional in places (perhaps thanks to the AI). Overall it comes across as an advertisement rather than an encyclopedia entry given the current wording. ChrysGalley (talk) 10:23, 28 May 2026 (UTC)
Tankyu Distillery
Native name
丹丘蒸留所
Company type
Distillery
IndustryAlcoholic beverages
FoundersJoseph Cheung, Kit Cheung
Headquarters
Higashikawa, Hokkaido
,
Japan
Key people
Motoki Harigaya (representative director); David Hsieh (master distiller)
ProductsSingle malt whisky, gin
OwnerTankyu Distillery Co., Ltd. (丹丘蒸留所株式会社)
Websitetankyudistillery.jp

Tankyu Distillery (Japanese: 丹丘蒸留所) is a craft gin and whisky distillery in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. It was established by Joseph Cheung and Kit Cheung, the Hong Kong founders of the gin brand Perfume Trees Gin, and opened on 27 August 2025.[1][2][3] The facility operates under a "publicly built, privately operated" (公設民営, kōsetsu min'ei) model in which the town of Higashikawa constructed the distillery and a private company runs it.[2]

Background

Perfume Trees Gin was launched in 2018 by Kit Cheung, a mixologist who had worked in bars in Hong Kong and Europe, and Joseph Cheung (no relation), a cardiac nurse and Master of Laws graduate.[4][1] The gin is made with botanicals associated with Hong Kong, including white champaca flowers (from the "perfume tree"), sandalwood, 15-year-aged tangerine peel, Longjing tea and Chinese angelica, and is distilled in the Netherlands.[4] It won Best Contemporary Gin (Gold) at the World Gin Awards in 2019 and 2020, Best in Class Gin (Platinum) at the 2019 SIP Awards in the United States, and Best Design Label at the 2020 World Gin Awards.[4]

The founders later released Pale Ink, a zero-sugar coffee liqueur, and a fruit-flavoured spirit series called Thence.[1]

Distillery

At a press conference in Hong Kong on 30 September 2024, the founders announced plans to build a distillery in Higashikawa, a Hokkaido town associated with photography and with snowmelt water from the Daisetsuzan mountain range.[1][5] The project had been in development for about four years.[6] The distillery opened on 27 August 2025, and guided tours began soon afterwards. The operators noted the site's proximity to Asahikawa Airport.[2]

The distillery's first product was a gin series named "Yuki no Mado" (雪の窓, "Window of Snow"), made with rice kōji from rice grown in Higashikawa and Todo fir (トドマツ, todomatsu) needles obtained through local forest-thinning, together with yuzu and other citrus.[7][3] At the 2026 Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition, the "Yuki no Mado" dry gin received a gold award in the Japanese gin category, and the distillery's Single Malt New Pot received a silver award in the new-make spirits (malt) category.[8]

For its whisky, the distillery uses underground spring water from Mount Asahidake in the Daisetsuzan range and floor-malted barley sourced entirely from Britain. It uses a mash filter and ferments for 168 hours in both stainless steel and wooden washbacks.[7] The distillery released a "Single Malt New Pot" and announced a private cask programme for 2026.[7] A guided tour programme called "Discover", which includes regular English-language tours, began in January 2026.[7]

People

Tankyu Distillery was established by Joseph Cheung and Kit Cheung, the Hong Kong co-founders of Perfume Trees Gin.[1][4] The Japanese distillery's representative director is Motoki Harigaya.[3] Its master distiller is David Hsieh (Dar Wei Hsieh), who trained as a distiller and blender in Scotland.[7][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mok, Charmaine (4 October 2024). "The Hong Kong gin makers hoping to break into Japan and whisky production in Hokkaido". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c 渡辺, 愛梨 (27 August 2025). ジンとウイスキー"探究" 「丹丘蒸留所」東川に誕生 大雪山系の水生かす [Exploring gin and whisky: Tankyu Distillery is born in Higashikawa, drawing on Daisetsuzan water]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d 北海道東川町に「丹丘蒸留所」がオープン。第⼀弾はクラフトジン「雪の窓」 [Tankyu Distillery opens in Higashikawa, Hokkaido; first release is craft gin "Yuki no Mado"]. Numero Tokyo (in Japanese). 29 August 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "Hong Kong Spirit". China Daily (Hong Kong Edition). 21 October 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  5. ^ "Hong Kong gin brand opens distillery in Japan". The Drinks Business. October 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  6. ^ "Tankyu for the memories". The Standard. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Distilling the Air of Hokkaido: How Tankyu Distillery Is Shaping a New Vision of Japanese Spirits". Fashion Headline. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  8. ^ 東京ウイスキー＆スピリッツコンペティション2026 洋酒部門 受賞結果一覧 [Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition 2026: Western spirits division results list] (PDF) (in Japanese). Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026. No. 263 ジン／ジャパニーズ 金 雪の窓 ドライジン 丹丘蒸留所; No. 385 ニューメイクスピリッツ／モルト 銀 丹丘蒸留所 シングルモルト ニューポット


Category:Distilleries in Japan Category:Japanese whisky Category:Gins Category:Companies based in Hokkaido Category:Food and drink companies established in 2025 Category:2025 establishments in Japan

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