Domain: The Chita

Chita is a grain distillery built in 1972 by the Suntory group, directed at the time by Keizo Saji, in Chita Peninsula in the south of Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture). It mainly uses corn, with a little malted barley added for fermentation. Three styles of whisky are produced, one clean—distilled in a double column still, one medium—distilled in three columns and one heavy—distilled in four columns. This gives blenders a wider palette for creating their blends, in an approach already used at Suntory’s two malt distilleries, Yamazaki and Hakushu. The whisky is aged in the warehouses of Omi and Hakushu, generally in American oak. It is used in Suntory’s various blends, such as Hibiki and Kakubin, but has also been released as a single grain for some years now.