«Uonuma,» a single-grain rice whisky produced by Hakkai Jozo. The 2026 Limited Edition is aged in the company’s own rice shochu barrels.
Hakkai Jozo, famous for its sake “Hakkaisan,” currently operates two distilleries: the Fukasawahara Distillery in Niigata and the Niseko Distillery in Hokkaido.
At the Fukasawahara Distillery, they produce whisky using rice and malt (※in accordance with the definition of Japanese whisky, which includes malt), but the ratio of rice is higher, making it a whisky that is truly unique to Japan.
1. Photos of the bottle and label
Single Grain Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky 2026 Limited
Single Grain Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky 2026 Limited
2. Single Grain Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky 2026 Limited
A distinctive rice grain whisky made primarily from rice.
It is produced using “Raiden-sama’s Clear Water”—which delivers the pure flavor we seek—as the mash water, along with sake yeast. This rare whisky, virtually unparalleled worldwide, is crafted by slowly aging for 8 years only the base spirit produced through our unique pursuit of traditional whisky-making methods.
For the 2026 LIMITED edition, we used barrels previously holding “Hakkaisan Honkaku Rice Shochu, Oak Barrel-Aged, Wind-Pollinated Flower.” The result is a whisky with a gentle harmony and a calm, lingering finish.
- Tasting Notes
- Color: Bright amber
- Aroma: An elegant, soft aroma of honey and brown sugar, following notes of ripe citrus
- Taste: Gentle sweetness derived from rice, a rich, marmalade-like flavor, and a harmonious balance of pleasant acidity and astringency
Source: Hakkaisan Single Grain Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky 2026 LIMITED | Hakkaisan
2-1. Tasting Notes
| Aroma | Marmalade jam, orange peel candies, vanilla wafers |
| Taste | Palate Light sweetness, ginger honey, subtle rice aroma |
| Finish | Vanilla-like woodiness and a lingering aroma reminiscent of dry sake |
2-2. Product Specifications
| Alcohol Content | 52% |
| Category | Single Malt Japanese whisky |
| Cask Type | Barrels previously used to age the authentic rice shochu “Wind-pollinated flowers” aged in oak barrels |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Number of Bottles Sold | Unknown |
| Suggested Retail Price | 13,200 yen (tax included) |
| Release Date | August 2026 |
3. Awards
No awards have been received to date.
4. List Price and Online Prices
4-1. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
| Product Name | Single Grain Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky 2026 LIMITED |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Suggested Retail Price | 13,200 yen (tax included) |
4-2. Resale Price on Mercari
We were unable to confirm the resale price on Mercari at this time. (*As of August 12, 2026)
4-3. Winning Bid Price on Yahoo! Auctions
We were unable to confirm the price on Yahoo! Auctions at this time. ( As of August 12, 2026)
4-4. Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, and Amazon
We were unable to confirm sales on online retailers such as Amazon. (As of August 12, 2026)
4-5. Prices at BAR Shinkai
At “BAR Shinkai,” operated by this website, we offer even small portions, such as45 ml for 3,630 yen, 30 ml for 2,420 yen, and 15 ml for 1,210 yen.
5. Hakkai Jozo, Fukasawahara Distillery
Located within “Uonuma no Sato,” a leisure facility featuring various restaurants, museums, and cafes, the Fukasawahara Distillery is operated by Hakkai Jozo, known for its “Hakkai-san” sake.
In 2005, the facility began producing shochu as “Fukasawahara Kura,” its predecessor, and in April 2016, it obtained a whisky production license. Since then, it has continued to produce grain whisky made from rice.
The company also operates the Niseko Distillery, making it one of the few distillers—even among the growing number of craft distilleries in recent years—to own two distilleries.
The distillery began producing rice whisky in 2016, using “Raiden-sama’s Clear Water”as its mash water to achieve a pure flavor, and benefits from an environment unique to a sake brewery that utilizes sake yeast.
Although production volumes are low and releases are limited, the 8-year-aged rice whisky boasts a level of perfection unmatched by any other. In the future, we can also look forward to blended whiskys featuring Niseko Single Malt.
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| Address | 343-9 Nagamori, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949-7112 |
| Access to the Distillery | 10-minute taxi ride from Itsukamachi Station on the JR Joetsu Line |
| Established | 2005 |
| Official Website | Uonuma no Sato |
| Tours |
No tours available |
Please also see here for information on Hakkai Jozo
6. Summary
Uonuma 8-Year-Old Rice Whisky is a bottle that fuses Japanese sake-brewing techniques with whisky culture.
Created through fermentation and distillation using sake yeast, followed by eight years of aging, its flavor beautifully harmonizes the delicate sweetness unique to rice with the aroma derived from the barrels.
While last year’s batch featured more pronounced spicy notes, this year’s version is much smoother—with a finish that makes its 52% ABV completely unnoticeable.
In the future, we may not see many releases in the “rice whisky” category in Japan.
Furthermore, production volumes of [Uonuma] are low, and it is available only as a limited release.
However, it’s safe to say that this 8-year-aged rice whisky boasts a level of perfection that is second to none.
There is also great anticipation for the blended whisky with Niseko single malt, which is likely planned for the future.
Por último: Libros recomendados sobre el whisky japonés
Si quiere aprender más sobre el whisky japonés, que es una tendencia mundial, le recomendamos estos libros.
(1). El whisky japonés como educación para los negocios
Se trata de un libro escrito por Mamoru Tsuchiya, un crítico de whisky de fama mundial y representante del Instituto de Investigación de la Cultura del Whisky, titulado 《 El whisky japonés como cultura para los negocios. 》
El libro abarca los fundamentos del whisky, la introducción del whisky en Japón, el nacimiento del whisky japonés, las estrategias publicitarias y el auge del whisky japonés, y el actual auge de las destilerías artesanales. Se trata de un libro que resume el whisky japonés de forma muy fácil de entender.
(2). El whisky y yo (Masataka Taketsuru)
Masataka Taketsuru, el fundador de Nikka Whisky, dedicó su vida a la elaboración de whisky en Japón. Esta es una versión revisada y reimpresa de la autobiografía de un hombre que simplemente amaba el whisky y hablaba de sí mismo. El libro describe vívidamente los días en que fue a Escocia solo para estudiar de joven y superó muchas dificultades para completar el whisky japonés, así como a su compañera, Rita.
(3). Una carta de desafío de una destilería de nueva generación
Lanzamiento en 2019. En un momento en el que el mundo está viviendo un boom del whisky sin precedentes, ¿en qué pensaban los responsables de las destilerías artesanales y cuáles fueron sus reflexiones cuando asumieron el reto de elaborar whisky? Este libro cuenta las historias de 13 propietarios de destilerías artesanales, incluido Ichiro Akuto, de Venture whisky, famoso por su Ichirose Malt, que inspiró el nacimiento de las destilerías artesanales en Japón.
(4). Whiskey Rising
Esta es la versión japonesa de Whisky Risng, publicada en Estados Unidos en 2016, con un contenido muy actualizado. No solo describe la historia del whisky japonés en detalle, sino que también incluye datos sobre todas las destilerías de Japón, incluidas las destilerías artesanales que se han fundado en los últimos años. El libro también incluye descripciones de las botellas legendarias que han salido al mercado, así como información sobre los bares donde se puede encontrar whisky japonés.
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