Spirits · Mizukami, Kumamoto Prefecture
Ohishi Distillery
A six-generation Kumamoto family distillery making whisky entirely from rice.
- Founded
- 1872
- Based in
- Mizukami, Kumamoto Prefecture
Making it since
1872
Their story
Ohishi sits in the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture, near the village of Mizukami, closer to the source of the Kuma River than any other distillery. The same family has run it for six generations, and today Kazunori Oishi leads production as master distiller.
Founded in 1872, Ohishi first made its name with sake and shochu. Over time the family turned that rice expertise toward whisky, and their bottlings helped put Japanese rice whisky on the map as a serious grain spirit.
The distillery is known for trying new ideas in both distilling and aging, while keeping its roots in the rice fields around it.
How it's made
About a third of the rice comes from the family's own paddies, where koi swim through the fields and eat weeds so no chemicals are needed; the rest comes from elsewhere in Kumamoto. The rice is fermented first in clay pots and then in stainless steel, distilled in stainless steel pot stills, and aged mainly in brandy and sherry casks, with some bottlings finished in port, Islay Scotch or sakura casks.
Why we carry them
We reach for Ohishi when someone wants to taste what Japanese whisky can be outside the malt tradition. Rice gives it a soft, round texture, and the cask finishes make each bottling distinct.
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