Creating
Culture
with Whisky.
戸塚 繁
Shigeru Totsuka
-
16th Master Brewer of Totsuka Sake
Brewery Co., Ltd. -
President and Representative Director,
Karuizawa Whisky Co., Ltd
- Profile
-
- 1974: Born in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture
- 1994: Graduated from Junior College of Tokyo University of Agriculture, Department of Fermentation
- 2014: Appointed 16th Master Brewer, Totsuka Sake Brewery Co., Ltd
- 2019: Founded Karuizawa Whisky Company
Established in 1653,
born the eldest son of
a long-established sake brewery,
The family business, Totsuka Sake Brewery, is a long-established sake brewery that was founded by my ancestor, Totsuka Heieimon, a retainer to the Tokugawa clan, in 1653. As the eldest son, it was only natural for me to take over the position of master brewer, so I have had this awareness since childhood.
I entered the Fermentation Department of Junior College of Tokyo University of Agriculture, and after graduation spent five years working in the liquor wholesale business in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district, before returning to my hometown.
Encountering a Karuizawa legend in Tokyo
I first encountered the old Karuizawa Whisky when I was working as a liquor wholesaler. While I was making sales call to bars, someone recommended a "local whisky" that they had. It was very mellow and flavorful, and I vividly remember being shocked that there was a distillery in Karuizawa that produced such delicious whisky.
I later returned to my hometown just at the time Totsuka Sake Brewery was expanding its export business, but the shock I felt at that time has not faded to this day.
Appointed 16th Master Brewer of Totsuka Sake Brewery
After returning to my hometown, I devoted myself to the challenge of new projects, such as working hard to develop new sales channels on America's West Coast.
I always wanted to build a distillery and make whisky in Karuizawa, but the land restrictions in Karuizawa are very strict and, from a cost and environmental perspective, the project could not be realized without full and serious commitment. At the age of 40, I became the 16th Master Brewer and was appointed CEO of Totsuka Sake Brewery. From then, I cultivated rice and potatoes in order to get to know the soil of Karuizawa, and after continued efforts to steadily build our foundations while deepening relationships with many people, we were finally able to launch genuine "Karuizawa Distillery".
The fusion of a veteran's passion and skills
The distillery manager is Yoshiyuki Nakazato, who worked as a whisky distiller at the former Mercian Karuizawa Distillery. The reason we were able to bring him on board was because of Osami Uchibori, who was malt master at the former Mercian Karuizawa Distillery and worked on Japan's first malt whisky. Unfortunately, Mr. Uchibori passed away in 2023, but we are proud to have been able to start the distillery with him as an advisor.
Our whisky is not only distilled and matured in Karuizawa, but also draws together the passion and skills of veteran craftsmen and it is because of all of these elements that we speak of "genuine Karuizawa Whisky."
Now, a new
legend begins.
While many newly established distilleries release newmake spirit (matured for 3 years), we have decided to mature our whisky for at least 10 years. This decision may be due in part to the fact that I feel the gravitas of the 370-year history of Totsuka Sake Brewery.
It will be a long time before our quality is truly appreciated, and that day may be after I have passed the baton to the next master brewer. And that is fine by me. It is my wish that by the time today's children become adults, they will feel proud of the whisky we make in Karuizawa.
I will devote my life to this endeavour, working with the determination to "create the culture of Karuizawa" through whisky.
OTHER PERSON
