V-2 Nurtured by the landscape at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba
Described in the oldest depictions of Japan’s geography, the Fūdoki, as “the Land of Eternal Life,” the abundance of the Hitachi-no-kuni region (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture) has made it long-known as a land that is blessed with products from the sea and the mountains. In search of land suitable for whisky-making in this area, we arrived at the Yasato district of Ishioka City, located at the eastern foot of Mt. Tsukuba. The large temperature differences between day and night that are characteristic of the basin climate there, along with the abundance of high-quality water from the Tsukuba Mountains, were decisive factors in that decision. Kiuchis’ whisky is distilled and aged in Yasato, a place that retains its original landscapes and was selected as one of the “100 Best Villages in Japan.”
Blessed with delicious water, the area around Mt. Tsukuba has long been known for its many sake breweries.