Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
Togouchi is Hiroshima’s other whisky story — different from Sakurao in almost every way, but equally specific to this part of Japan.
Togouchi whisky is matured in a former railroad tunnel in the mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture’s Akiota district. The tunnel, cut through solid rock, maintains a stable temperature and high humidity year-round — conditions that produce a particular style of slow, even maturation. The whisky is not distilled in Hiroshima: the base spirit comes from Scotland and Japan’s established producers, and is matured in the Togouchi tunnel before being bottled as a Hiroshima product.
The Heavy Peated Expression
The 2020 Heavy Peated expression represents a specific character choice for Togouchi: a departure from the brand’s usual lighter, approachable style toward something more assertive. The Hiroshima peat — or at least the peat character in this expression — has a particular quality shaped by the combination of raw material and maturation environment.
The Galaxy Express 999 Collaboration
One of the more culturally specific Togouchi releases is the collaboration with Galaxy Express 999 — the classic Japanese manga and anime series by Leiji Matsumoto, set aboard an interstellar steam train. The collaboration was developed by whisky critic Hideo Yamaoka, who selected the specific cask. The connection between a steam-powered space train and a whisky matured in a mountain tunnel has a particular logic that is very Japanese in character.
Togouchi expressions are available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/kuririn-togouchi/
Bar Little Happiness | Hiroshima, Japan
Rum & Whisky specialists | 1,000+ bottles | English menu available
Open Mon–Sat 7PM–12:30AM, Sun 7PM–midnight
No cover charge. Walk-ins welcome.
english.little-happiness.jp