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Everything you need to know about Kurayoshi Distillery
Most popular bottles from the distillery
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The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old Pure Malt Japanese Whisky£159.99 Inc VAT -
Tottori Kurayoshi Blended Japanese Whisky£49.99 Inc VAT -
Tottori Matsui Japanese Blended Whisky£69.97 Inc VAT -
Kurayoshi Matsui 12 Year Old The Single Malt Whisky£124.99 Inc VAT
A brief History
Kurayoshi, Japan. Founded in 2017.
Kurayoshi is a modern Japanese whisky brand that’s built around approachability rather than mystique. It comes from Tottori Prefecture, a quiet, rural part of Japan known for clean water, mountains, and low-key production rather than headline-grabbing distilleries.
The brand is produced by Matsui Shuzo, a long-established Japanese spirits company with deep roots in sake and shochu. Kurayoshi whisky began appearing internationally in the 2010s, aimed at drinkers who wanted Japanese-style whisky without the scarcity, pricing, or intensity associated with the biggest names.
Kurayoshi sits firmly on the softer side of the spectrum. It isn’t peated. It isn’t aggressive. It’s designed to be easy to drink, gently sweet, and balanced. For many people, it’s an entry point into Japanese whisky rather than a collector’s bottle — and that’s very much the intention.
Taste Profile
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Sweet |
Fruity | Malty / Cereal |
Kurayoshi whiskies tend to be light, smooth, and softly rounded. Orchard fruit and honeyed sweetness lead, followed by gentle vanilla from oak maturation. The malt character is clean and biscuity, with very little spice or bitterness.
There’s no smoke and no heavy oak dominance. The finish is usually short to medium, clean, and lightly sweet.
These are whiskies meant for relaxed sipping rather than deep, analytical tasting.
Top 4 Flavour Profile Ingredients
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Apple / Pear |
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Vanilla |
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Honey |
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Malt / Biscuit / Toast |
Most Popular Bottles
The Kurayoshi Pure Malt
The best-known release. Light, sweet, and balanced with fruit and vanilla.
The Kurayoshi 8 Year Old
Adds a little more oak structure while keeping the soft house style.
The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old
More rounded and mature, with improved texture and integration.
These bottles are generally easier to find in the UK than many Japanese single malts.
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The Distillery
The Distiller: Kurayoshi Distillery
Address: 656-1 Kamifurukawa, Kurayoshi, Tottori 682-0934, Japan
 Open in maps |
 www.matsuiwhisky.com/en |
 +81858270381 |
Visitor Centre
Kurayoshi does not operate a major public-facing visitor centre dedicated solely to the whisky brand. Any visits are secondary to the producer’s broader spirits operations.
Ownership History
Current Owner
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Matsui Shuzo Co., Ltd.
Matsui Shuzo has a long history in Japanese alcohol production and expanded into whisky as part of a broader spirits portfolio.
Distillery Facts
Overview & History
Kurayoshi Distillery is located in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and is operated by Matsui Shuzo, a producer with roots in sake and shochu. Whisky bottlings under The Kurayoshi name began appearing internationally in the mid-2010s, coinciding with surging global demand for Japanese whisky.
Early releases were positioned as Japanese “pure malt” (vatted malt) expressions. Over time, Matsui expanded its distillation capacity and portfolio, including both malt and grain production.
Production
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Spirit Type: Japanese whisky (malt and blended malt)
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Distillation: Pot stills for malt whisky (capacity expanded over time)
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Water Source: Soft spring water from Mount Daisen
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Cask Policy: Ex-bourbon, sherry, and Mizunara oak (select releases)
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Climate: Temperate, aiding steady maturation rather than rapid extraction
Transparency around sourcing has varied by release. Some early bottlings were widely understood to include non-Japanese malt whisky, while later releases increasingly emphasise in-house distillate.
Whisky Style
Typical profile across The Kurayoshi range:
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Light to medium body
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Honeyed malt sweetness
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Orchard fruit
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Soft vanilla
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Gentle oak spice
Mizunara-finished expressions add sandalwood, incense, and dry spice notes.
The style prioritises smoothness and accessibility over power or heavy oak.
Key Expressions
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The Kurayoshi Pure Malt – Core range expression
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The Kurayoshi 8 / 12 / 18 Year Old – Age-stated blended malt releases
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The Kurayoshi Sherry Cask – Richer dried fruit profile
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The Kurayoshi Mizunara Cask – Japanese oak influence
Matsui also releases whisky under the Tottori brand, typically blended whisky rather than pure malt.
Significance
Kurayoshi sits within the controversial but important category of modern Japanese whisky brands that emerged during supply shortages. It highlights the distinction between Japanese whisky style and Japanese whisky origin, a topic that later led to stricter industry labelling standards.
As in-house stocks mature and transparency improves, Kurayoshi represents a transitional producer — moving from market-driven bottlings toward a more conventional distillery-led identity within Japanese whisky.
Kurayoshi Whisky to Buy
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