Kumamoto: Whisky Being Produced at School-Turned-Distillery, with Distillation Equipment in Former Gymnasium

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:37 JST, November 1, 2025

HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto — A single malt whisky is being produced at a distillery built by a shochu maker on the site of a former elementary school in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Takahashi Shuzo Co., which celebrates its 125th year in business this year, is nationally known for its Hakutake Shiro shochu. The shochu is a variety of Kuma Shochu, a local specialty from the Hitoyoshi Kuma region of the prefecture.

Leveraging its long-cultivated expertise in distillation, the company decided to enter the global market for Japanese whisky, which enjoys worldwide popularity.

The move came amid a shrinking domestic shochu market due to changes in alcohol preferences and young people becoming less interested in alcohol.

Tano Elementary School closed in 2014. The building sits at an elevation of 680 meters in an area where temperatures fluctuate between over 30 C in summer and below minus 10 C in winter.

Takahashi Shuzo purchased the land because the temperature differences are ideal for aging whisky. It built a barrel storage facility and a tasting room in the old school building and installed distillation equipment at the former gymnasium.

Whisky production began in August last year, and sales are slated to start in three years. The company has also set up a tour for visitors to the distillery.