New Japanese cave‑aged whiskies and shrine‑sourced highball debut Aug 8, 2026

On August 8, 2026, Japan will launch two distinct whisky products. The second edition of the ABUKUMA CAVE series— a cave‑aged blended whisky matured at about 15 °C inside the Abukuma limestone cave—will be released by the General Foundation Tamura City Takine Tourism Promotion Public Corporation together with Fukushima’s Minami Shuhanken Co. Production is limited to 240 bottles, each priced at ¥17,600.

The same day, Nishihori Sake Brewing’s Otawara distillery in Tochigi will introduce the “Nikkō Whisky Highball”, a 350 ml canned highball (7 % ABV) that incorporates whisky aged in a barrel made from wood of the sacred Nikkō Tōshō‑gū shrine’s cedar. Part of the sales will support conservation of the Nikkō cedar forest, and the drink will be rolled out through Tochigi’s liquor stores, hotels and tourist sites.