Nagahama Distillery: History, Owner and Visitor Guide
Updated: 21 hours ago
Nagahama Distillery sits beside Lake Biwa in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the smallest whisky distilleries in the country and shares its site with the Nagahama Roman Beer brewery and restaurant.
In this guide
Summarise this guide with AI
Nagahama at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Distillery | Nagahama |
Country / region | Shiga, Japan |
Owner / producer | Roman Beer Company |
History | Nagahama Roman Beer was founded as a craft brewery in 1996. The distillery began operating in November 2016 as the 20th anniversary project of the brewery. |
Whisky identity | Distillery single malt alongside blends containing sourced whisky |
Visiting | Check the current official visiting arrangements before travelling. |
Join the Nagahama whisky community poll
Which whiskies have you tried? What should Whisky Clan review next? Open the highlighted poll below, answer four quick questions and share your preferences with the community.
TAKE THE NAGAHAMA COMMUNITY POLL · 4 QUICK QUESTIONS
Answer four quick questions to see real reader percentages. No account or email is required.
Nagahama at a glance
Location: 14-1 Asahicho, Nagahama, Shiga
Owner: Nagahama Roman Beer Co
Brewery founded: 1996
Whisky production began: November 2016
Brands: Single Malt Nagahama and AMAHAGAN
Still room: about 26 square metres
History of Nagahama Distillery
Nagahama Roman Beer was founded as a craft brewery in 1996. The distillery began operating in November 2016 as the 20th anniversary project of the brewery. The stills share a compact site with the brewery and a restaurant in a converted Edo period rice storehouse.
Production is very small. The still room is about 26 square metres and one mash yields roughly one cask. The distillery works on the motto one batch, one cask. Because the site is shared with a brewery, blender Yusuke Yahisa has described separate fermentation tanks and thorough cleaning after peated runs to keep smoke out of the beer.
The range
Nagahama has two release families. AMAHAGAN combines imported malt with Nagahama spirit and has been used since 2018 for blending and finishing, with red wine, mizunara, yamazakura, peated and collaborative editions. Single Malt Nagahama uses only the distillery's own spirit. It moved from tiny single cask bottlings to the multi cask THE BATCH series, which began with THE FIRST BATCH in 2022. By 2026 the series had reached THE NINTH BATCH, combining wine, sherry, peated Islay quarter cask and Japanese cherry cask whisky.
Visiting Nagahama
Tours need advance booking and run on listed dates. Participants must be 20 or older. A third party guide listed these programs: a 30 minute distillery visit at 2,200 yen, the AZAI Factory Tour at 5,000 yen over about 150 minutes, an original bottle making session, and a two day make your own whisky experience at 44,000 yen. Prices and dates change, so check the official booking page.
The distillery is about a 4 minute walk from Nagahama Station. A JR Special Rapid service takes about 66 minutes from Kyoto and about 102 minutes from Osaka.
A very small distillery in Shiga
WhiskyPolska describes Nagahama Distillery as a Japanese whisky distillery in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, established in 2016. It is described as one of the smallest distilleries in Japan, with very compact stills, and it is part of Nagahama Roman Beer Co., Ltd.
Output: single malt whisky and the Amahagan series of world blended whiskies
Listed bottlings: Amahagan World Malt Edition No.1 and Edition No.2 Red Wine Wood Finish, both at 47% ABV
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Nagahama Distillery?
Nagahama Roman Beer Co, the craft brewery that opened the distillery in 2016.
What is AMAHAGAN?
A range that blends imported malt with Nagahama spirit, used as a blending and finishing project since 2018.
Do I need to book a tour?
Yes. All programs require advance booking.
Sources and gaps
Sources: the Japanese Whisky Distillery Guide page on Nagahama, a third party site that summarises the official pages, plus search results from jpwhisky.net and 88 Bamboo. The official Nagahama site was not loaded. Tour prices come from the third party guide and should be checked. Wikipedia has no Nagahama article. Cover image: none set.
Further source read on 21 October 2026: WhiskyPolska catalogue entry for Nagahama Distillery.
What makes Nagahama distinctive?
Distillery single malt alongside blends containing sourced whisky.
Nagahama whisky bottles and releases
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Single Malt Nagahama | NAS / release varies | Check bottle | Distillery single malt alongside blends containing sourced whisky |
AMAHAGAN World Malt | NAS / release varies | Check bottle | Distillery single malt alongside blends containing sourced whisky |
The table records named expressions, not live stock. Bottle strength and cask treatment can vary by market and release. Always consult the producer.
More distilleries to explore
Frequently asked questions about Nagahama
Where is Nagahama based?
Shiga, Japan.
Who owns Nagahama?
Roman Beer Company.
What is notable about Nagahama?
Distillery single malt alongside blends containing sourced whisky.
Which bottles does Nagahama have?
Single Malt Nagahama, AMAHAGAN World Malt. Releases and availability change.
Can you visit Nagahama?
Check the distillery's official visitor or tour information before making travel plans.
Sources and editorial checks
The original history, references and research remain in this guide. Whisky range and visitor information may change.
Help us improve this distillery guide
Know something we should add or correct about Nagahama Distillery? Share verified facts, bottle releases, awards or useful sources using the form below. Newsletter subscription is optional.
If the embedded form does not display, Open the contribution form in a new tab.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
Comments