Japan’s smallest distillery, Nagahama, was founded in 2016 in the city of the same name, to the north-east of Kyoto, the former imperial capital. The distillery was set up on the site of the Nagahama Roman Brewery created in 1996. It benefits from its proximity to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest freshwater lake, whose main source is Mount Ibuki. Like the distillery, the still used for distillation is also the smallest in Japan and boasts an unusual shape that echoes Arabic architecture, earning it the nickname Aranbic. The whisky is the work of master blender Takashi Kiyoi and distiller Yusuke Yahisa. Two brands are produced, Nagaham and Amahagan. The first is composed of single malts and the second of “world malts”.

Amahagan is a world malt (a blend of malt whiskies from several countries) created by the Nagahama distillery. This second edition was finished in red wine casks.