A New Chapter in Japanese Whisky Making
A New Chapter in Japanese Whisky Making
A New Chapter in Japanese Whisky Making
We have multiple courses aimed at all levels of whisky-lover, from beginner to connoisseur.
Whether you are interested in making your first step into the world of whisky,
or you are seeking to further your knowledge, we have the course for you.
The duration of each course is 40-60 minutes - please see each individual course listing.
Eddie Ludlow
Chief Educator
Tasting Judge for Scotch/World Whisky panels, IWSC, since 2009
Founder of "The Whisky Lounge" in the UK
Author of the best-selling book, Whisky - A Tasting Course -
You need one of two plans purchased, detailed below,
to gain entry to our Visitor Centre.
Advanced purchase will be given priority admission, therefore,
if possible, please purchase a plan in advance, before you arrive.
KOMORO Experience（Entrance Fee + Welcome Cocktail）
This plan includes entry to the Visitor Centre, production tour*,
plus a welcome cocktail at the bar.
KOMORO Academy（Entrance Fee + Whisky Academy）
You can attend a WHISKY ACADEMY course using this plan -
please choose the course you prefer from the Whisky Academy page.
This plan also gives you access to the Visitor Centre, bar, shop,
and a production tour*
*we cannot guarantee you will be allowed on the production floor
inside the distillery, due to KOMORO being a working distillery.
We will, of course, do our best to ensure you a tour,
but we appreciate your patience and understanding if this is not possible.
By Public Transport
10 minutes by taxi from Komoro Station (Shinano Railway)
25 minutes by taxi from Sakudaira Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen)
If you wish to use our shuttle service, please indicate so when making your reservation.
By Car
6km from Komoro IC (Joshinetsu Expressway)
4630-1 Kou, Komoro, Nagano, 384-0801 Japan
How to enjoy whisky to the maximum!
Experience and learn about whisky by tasting different styles and
talking through flavour and aroma, as well as a little background.
The aim of this course is to give the participant more pleasure and confidence when buying whisky - be
it in a bar or shop. Whisky can be a confusing subject, but it doesn't need to be.
We will show you how to understand it, through nosing and tasting,
looking at how whisky is made and identifying different styles.
This course is perfect for the whisky novice!
Want to know more about how whisky is made?
In this course, you will learn about the whisky production process and
will leave a more confident whisky-lover.
This course is for those that perhaps really enjoy whisky, but want to find out more about
how it is made. We take you through every part of the production process and how each of these
can impact the flavour of the final whisky, with tasting samples to help, at each point.
This is highly recommended for those wanting to take the next step in whisky knowledge!
Let's make some cocktails!
Let our professional bartenders show you how,
before you have a go at producing a classic cocktail yourself.
Making seriously good cocktails is as much of an art as whisky-making itself and requires years of
experience and practice. You don't have that luxury, but what you will have is the benefit of those that
do - our professional bartenders. They will show you how, let you taste each one,
before you try your hand yourself.
Why is whisky matured at all? Why oak? All of these questions and more
will be answered as you taste as well as learn!
Most people who enjoy whisky, understand that whisky is matured in wooden casks.
But why is whisky matured in wood, and specifically oak casks? What happens inside the cask?
And what is the impact of different oak types and casks that have held other spirits or wines?
This course is for those wanting to know more about the mystery of maturation
and includes some delicious tasting samples to help illustrate this.
For those that love smoky, peaty whiskies, this course explores what peat is,
where it comes from, and its impact on whisky.
If you are interested by, or just love peated, smoky whiskies, then this is the course for you!
Here we examine, in detail, what peat is, and how it plays a part in the production process.
We do this through tasting whiskies of varying peat levels, whilst listening and discussing.
Who was Dr. Jim Swan and what was his contribution to the whisky industry?
Let us show you the impact Dr. Jim Swan has had on Komoro Distillery
and the wider whisky industry.
This tasting course is very dear to our hearts,
because Dr. Jim Swan was the mentor,
and much more, to Ian Chang, our Master Blender.
The course explores who Dr. Jim Swan was, illustrated by the words of those who knew him,
and what his achievements were.
We also taste some of the whiskies his innovations or assistance had a hand in,
so you can taste his influence too.
By the end of the course you will have a better understanding of Dr. Swan,
how important he was to our industry and why he means so much to Ian Chang
and Komoro Distillery.
