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Kurayoshi
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Kurayoshi is a Japanese malt whisky distillery, founded in 2017 and located at the foothills of Mount Daisen in the Tottori Prefecture. It is owned by the historic shochu producer, Matsui Shuzo Co, which was established back in 1910 but only acquired its first whisky distilling license in 2015.
The distillery produced its first spirit in 2017, distilling using both imported and local barley and ageing in a variety of casks that include Japanese Mizunara and Sakura wood. Its single malt is bottled and marketed under The Matsui brand name.
While they share a name, the Kurayoshi brand from Matsui Shuzo predates the opening of the distillery and is produced using whisky imported from Scotland and Canada. In its early years, the brand was met with the ire of many in the whisky community as it was believed to be misleading in the phrasing used on its labels and their obvious aesthetic similarity to to products from Suntory's Yamazaki brand. The former issue has been resolved following new regulation in Japan (introduced in 2021), however the latter may remain evident to some.
Launched in 2016, the Kurayoshi range is broad and has included 8-, 12-, 15-, 18- and 25-year-old age statements over the years. The 15- and 25-year-old have been discontinued, and the core range is completed by two bourbon cask and sherry cask-aged non-age statements.
2017-present
Kurayoshi Distillery
656-1 Kamifurukawa
Kurayoshi
Tottori 682-0934
Japan
Active brands
Single Malt
