At 700 metres above sea level, deep in a dense forest at the foot of the Southern Japan Alps, stands Hakushu, one of the highest-altitude distilleries in the world. Keizo Saji, Suntory's second master blender and son of company founder Shinjiro Torii, deliberately chose this remote location in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1973 for its exceptionally pure, mineral-rich water source – around 50 years after Suntory had opened its first distillery, Yamazaki.

83 percent of the roughly 1,000-hectare site is protected as a nature reserve and bird sanctuary, fully in keeping with Suntory's corporate philosophy of "harmony with people and nature". Due to worldwide demand, Hakushu is only rarely available, usually in small allocations.

Why did Suntory choose such a remote mountain location?

In 1973, Keizo Saji, Suntory's second master blender and son of company founder Shinjiro Torii, was searching for a suitable site for a second distillery to complement Yamazaki, founded back in 1923. A decisive criterion was water quality: in the forests on the slopes of Mount Kaikoma, around 160 kilometres from Tokyo, he found a spring at 700 metres elevation with exceptionally pure, mineral-rich, low-lime water. This gave rise to Hakushu, affectionately nicknamed the "Mountain Forest Distillery" – one of the highest-altitude whisky distilleries in the world.

What makes Hakushu ecologically distinctive?

The roughly 1,000-hectare site sits amid dense forest; 83 percent of the land is officially designated a nature reserve and bird sanctuary. In this way, the distillery embodies Suntory's corporate philosophy of "harmony with people and nature" like hardly any other site in the group. Due to enormous worldwide demand for Japanese whisky, Hakushu has for several years now been available only in limited quantities and small allocations.

Facts and figures

Location: Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded: 1973 by Keizo Saji. Elevation: 700 metres above sea level. Group: Suntory (sister distillery: Yamazaki, founded 1923).