A distillery rooted in Hokkaido
Tankyu brings a new whisky and gin operation to Higashikawa, at the foot of Hokkaido’s Daisetsuzan mountains. Co-founders Joseph and Kit Cheung previously created Hong Kong’s Perfume Trees Gin. Their Japanese distillery combines that international perspective with local water, ingredients and a partnership with the town.
The site is already a working production space. Tankyu’s current press information identifies the distillers, the equipment and the process behind its spirits.
Two iStill 2000s at the centre
Tankyu’s fact sheet lists two iStill 2000 hybrid stills with automated reflux. Its stated annual capacity is 65,000 litres of pure alcohol. That figure describes the distillery’s published capacity, rather than a claim about actual annual output.
The upstream process includes four stainless-steel washbacks and four wooden washbacks. Tankyu describes a 168-hour fermentation in two stages, using spring water from the Daisetsuzan mountains.
Built for the years ahead
The whisky programme uses Bourbon, Sherry and Mizunara casks. Tankyu’s current fact sheet puts its first single-malt release in 2029, following maturation. Its gin gives visitors another way into the distillery while that whisky develops.
Together, the stills, fermentation vessels and warehouse show how the distillery has planned beyond a single product launch.
Sources and photography
Official Tankyu press kit · Current production fact sheet · Tankyu Distillery. All photography is from the distillery’s downloadable press-photo collection. Figures and release plans reflect its published information checked in October 2026.
