Written by Mika Tanimoto, Owner-Bartender, Bar Little Happiness — Hiroshima’s specialist whisky & rum bar with 1,000+ bottles
There is a story about Kanosuke Distillery and a strong wind that I found unexpectedly moving — not because of the wind itself, but because of what it revealed about how the distillery thinks about itself in relation to the broader Japanese whisky world.
At the 2024 Chichibu Whisky Festival, the Kanosuke team encountered severe weather conditions during their display setup. Rather than retreating or reducing their presence, they worked through it — and the shared experience of managing difficult conditions alongside other producers at the festival created the kind of solidarity that forms real industry relationships.
Why This Matters
The whisky festival circuit in Japan — Chichibu, Komoro, and others — functions partly as an industry gathering in addition to its consumer-facing role. Producers who show up, who present thoughtfully, and who engage honestly with other distillers’ work build the relationships that make the Japanese craft whisky scene coherent as a community rather than simply competitive.
Kanosuke’s participation in this circuit reflects its position as a distillery that takes the broader health of Japanese craft whisky seriously — not just its own commercial performance. Ishihara-san’s framework for understanding the structural challenges facing Japanese producers, which he presented at the 2026 Komoro festival, is part of this same orientation: thinking about the industry as a whole rather than just one brand within it.
Kanosuke whisky is available at Bar Little Happiness. Read the full Japanese column: little-happiness.jp/columns/kanosuke-2024-chichibu-shochu/
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