The White Oak Distillery is owned by Eigashima Shuzo Company, which has over 100 years of experience in whisky production in Japan, but whose origins date back to 1679.
Located in Akashi City, in a quiet and peaceful area with a mild climate, 30 km southwest of the city of Kobe, facing the picturesque Seto Inland Sea and Awaji Island in front, with a distant view of Shodo Island and a range of mountains in Shikoku, since 1888, Eigashima has been producing sake and shochu with traditional Japanese art. In 1919, it was the first distillery to obtain the license for whisky production in Japan.
For this purpose, the original distillery was built in the Scottish style, using only specially selected barley imported from Scotland, combined with the same fresh water from an underground source used in the production of Japanese sake. The White Oak Distillery was established in 1984, transferring the pot stills and washbacks from the old facility and converting the previous stillhouse into a warehouse. The distillery location has an effect on the maturation of the whisky, not only due to coastal influences but also because of the huge temperature differences between summer and winter.
With “sincerity” as the core value of the company over the centuries, the eighth-generation leader of Eigashima, Mr. Hiraishi, does not compromise the quality of every drop of its products.
“We have been loved for centuries. ‘Sincerity’ is our corporate philosophy. We conduct business by doing things with sincerity, communicating with others with sincerity. We respect classic traditions and cultures, and at the same time, we respond to new needs without adhering to old ways. We seek to be ahead of the times by repeating research and developments. As a result, we have created many excellent products, attracting attention and contributing significantly to our society.
