The Japanese distillery, located in Bandai Town, Aizu, has created a distinctive blended whisky, crafted from Scottish new make spirit that has been wholly matured, blended, and bottled in the Aizu region of Japan.

The project was the vision of Shunsuke Koike, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 28. Before the Tenkyo Distillery was even constructed, Mr Koike began a bold maturation trial with 189 casks of Scottish malt and grain spirit, experimenting with 58 different cask types to explore the fusion of Scottish spirit and Japanese terroir.

The project holds profound personal significance for Blair Bowman, a Scottish whisky consultant and board advisor to Tenkyo Distillery.

“When I first met Shunsuke Koike in Edinburgh in August 2019, we immediately connected - what he called EN (縁), a moment of serendipitous fate,” Mr Bowman recalls. “Losing Shunsuke was devastating. Continuing his vision and helping to build his legacy is something I am deeply honoured to support his family with.”

To ensure Koike’s vision endures, the whisky is managed through a bespoke solera system. This process ensures that a portion of the original 189 casks will be present in every future bottle of KAZE, creating a continuous thread back to its founder. The name “KAZE” (風), meaning “wind” in Japanese, symbolises the meeting of winds from Scotland and Aizu, and the enduring spirit of Shunsuke.

The first release, LEGACY, is described as neither Scotch nor Japanese whisky, but a unique fusion of culture. It is bottled at 46.9% ABV and has initially been made available exclusively in Japan.