Visiting the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery was one of our main itinerary (that we somewhat book our flights to match the slots that were available). If you didn't already know, you'll need to make reservations even for the free entrance to the museum and of course the paid 1000yen factory tour. It's an immensely popular tour and we couldn't get a slot last year, so we were ecstatic to be able to join in this year!
Yamazaki is situated in between Kyoto and Osaka and it's easily accessible by train.
We took hundreds of pictures in the museum, soaking in the dream and smelling in the pride of Suntory's famed whiskys.
I'll not spoil the fun for you- hence, I'll shall not flood this post with too much pictures.
The factory tour took about 80mins and time just flew~!
The still pot room below had a strong brewing whisky aroma that woke me up and made my eyes twinkle with glee!
Below is the casks room which is not temperature controlled- it's cold in the summer and hot in the winter, as nature intends.
The flavors are born in a truly organic state.
The picture above shows the first pot still that was used way back then
and below was our main highlight- Whisky tasting! We woke up late and didn't get a bite to eat beforehand but it was oookay because whisky!
The making of highball!
Once the tour ended, we made our way to the gift shop and then to the paid tasting counter downstairs for our pre-brunch drinks? Haha.
Prices starting as low as 100yen for a cup was good enough excuse to flip the pages of the varieties offered!
I highly recommend the tour or even the free museum visit if you love whisky- But, do make reservation as early as you can to secure a spot.
It was the best 1,000yen we spent that day!
