Über die junge Ontake Distillery haben wir bereits mehrmals berichtet – heute haben wir davon erfahren, dass die Brennerei in Japan bei der Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competiton 2026 mit mehreren Preisen ausgezeichnet wurde, darunter auch die höchste Auszeichnung für Whisky, wie Sie untenstehend nachlesen können.
In Deutschland wird Ontake von Kirsch Import in den Handel gebracht – die Erstausgabe ist online zu finden.
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“Best of Best” Nishi Shuzo and Ontake Distillery Celebrate Landmark Success at TWSC 2026
Nishi Shuzo, one of Japan’s most respected family-owned distilling companies, has reinforced its reputation for excellence after receiving the highest honours at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC) 2026. The awards recognise not only the company’s heritage in shochu production but also the rise of its young whisky distillery, Ontake.
Leading the celebrations was their Shōchū Kiccho Hozan, which was awarded Highest Gold before being named Best of the Best, the highest accolade presented in its category. Nishi Shuzo was also recognised as Best Distillery.
The success continued for Ontake Distillery, whose Single Cask Strength Japanese Whisky Ontake No.18 received both Highest Gold and the coveted Japan Grand Prix, going some way to proving that the distillery is one of Japan’s most exciting names emerging in whisky. Ontake has now picked up more than 13 awards across international whisky competitions, a huge achievement for such a young distillery.
For a distillery that has only recently begun releasing whisky, the recognition is another major milestone. Built on more than 180 years of distilling expertise at Nishi Shuzo, Ontake has quickly gained international attention for its distinctive house style, shaped by pristine mountain spring water, long fermentations, and quality cask selection. The distillery has become particularly recognised for its use of rare ex-Solera sherry butts, which are hard to source in today’s market but create whiskies with remarkable depth even at younger ages.
„We are very honored to receive such awards. They are a reflection of the dedication of our entire team, from the distillers who produce our spirits to the warehouse team who oversee their maturation. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us on this journey.“
CEO Yoichiro Nishi
While Nishi Shuzo has spent centuries building its reputation as one of Japan’s top producers, Ontake represents the company’s vision for the future. Rather than simply creating another Japanese whisky, the ambition has always been to produce a spirit worthy of its house name.
The recognition at TWSC 2026 demonstrates that vision is already becoming reality.
About dekantã
dekantã is a specialist retailer of fine and rare Japanese whisky, proud to have the world’s largest such online inventory.
In 2022 dekantã was named ‘Japanese Independent Bottler of the Year’ thanks to their creative and impressive whisky bottlings that showcase top quality whisky, alongside intriguing aspects of Japanese culture, allowing customers to experience the upper echelon of Japanese whisky while gaining a better understanding of the centuries of hard work that made it possible.
In recent times, dekantā has been at the forefront of the birth of the Japanese whisky cask market and has made strong relationships with several distilleries. Japanese whisky casks were previously hard to come by, but dekantā is now the leading online retailer of Japanese whisky casks.
