Kanosuke Distillery and the “Industry Structure” of Whisky: Brand Advocate Ishihara-san and a Story of Connection (Kagoshima, Japan)
In short: at Komoro Distillery Festival 2026, Ishihara-san, brand advocate o...
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LAODI Distillery Visit, Part 3: The Wind President Obama Brought — How Lao Rum Became the Nation’s Official Gift
In short: in 2016, President Obama became the first sitting US president to ...
LAODI Distillery Visit, Part 4: “What Alcohol Brings You Is Encounters with People” — Rum, Sugar Cane and Treasures in Laos
In short: why has Ikuzo Inoue, founder of LAODI rum distillery in Laos, pour...
LAODI Distillery Visit, Part 1: A Reunion, a Feast, and the Beginning of a “Miracle Story” — Agricole Rum in Laos
In short: my visit to LAODI, a rum distillery in Laos founded by Japanese en...
LAODI Distillery Visit, Part 2: The “Miracle Licence” Won in One Week — Rum, Six Ministers and a Partner of Destiny in Laos
In short: how LAODI, the rum distillery in Laos founded by Japanese entrepre...
A Journey to LAODI Rum Distillery in Laos: A Connection That Began at a Talk for 15 People
In short: the night before flying from Osaka (Kansai) to Laos, I look back o...
Setouchi Distillery Visit, Part 2: A Former MRI Researcher’s Blueprint — 90% Sherry Casks and a Vision for the Brewery’s 200th Year (Hiroshima, Japan)
In short: the younger brother behind Setouchi Distillery in Kure, Hiroshima,...
Setouchi Distillery Visit, Part 3: One Line Drawn by Two Brothers — an Answer Still Without a Name, Growing in Kure (Hiroshima, Japan)
In short: in the final part of my Setouchi Distillery report (Kure, Hiroshim...
Setouchi Distillery Visit, Part 1: Kure, Hiroshima — Two Brothers Chasing the Lost Aroma of Old Sherry-Cask Macallan (Hiroshima, Japan)
In short: Setouchi Distillery in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan, is run by a 170-yea...
Miyagikyo Distillery Report, Part 3: A Sky Where Sparrows Cannot Perch — Masataka Taketsuru Buried the Power Lines (Sendai, Japan)
In short: why does the sky feel so wide at Nikka’s Miyagikyo Distillery in S...