点评:Located in Yoichi, about 90 minutes out from Sapporo Station. To get here, you have a few options. One is to drive, which is problematic because you can't participate in the whiskey tasting. Second is to take the train to JR Yoichi Station. This is an old local station. Your IC cards don't work; only cash. There is only one train per hour. The third option is to take the mid-distance buses out of Sapporo, 90 minutes away, but finding the appropriate bus may be a challenge.
Once you get here, there is the reservation-only tour. Free of charge. You MUST book exactly 4 weeks in advance of the day you wish to visit. This includes a whiskey tasting in their tasting room. You can see the furnaces being stoked and historical buildings. Everything is in Japanese, no English, but even if you don't understand a word, it will still be worth it because you don't need a translator to feel the heat of the furnace or smell the wort mix.
There is also a museum. No reservation needed. Inside, there is a pay tasting area. It is basically the same as the reservation-only tour, except that in photos, you don't visit the actual buildings. There is some English signage.
There is Rita's Kitchen, the founder's Scottish wife's restaurant. Food is a tad expensive, but you will be eating non-Japanese food. It was a nice respite.
The distillery store. They have their 3 special distillery only whiskey's available to purchase. This is really special. You cannot buy it anywhere else. They also have souvenirs and gifts that you can purchase. If all the things you are buying are too heavy, they do have a shipping service for a fee.
It is well designed for visitors. There are many "photo spots" throughout the property. Even if you are not a whiskey fan, it is so interesting that it will still be worth your time and effort to visit.
It was a fantastic experience.
翻译:酒厂位于余市,距离札幌站约90分钟车程。前往酒厂有几种选择。第一种是自驾,但这样就无法参加威士忌品鉴活动。第二种是乘坐JR余市站。这是一个比较老旧的地方车站,IC卡无法使用,只接受现金。而且每小时只有一班列车。第三种选择是从札幌乘坐中程巴士,车程约90分钟,但找到合适的巴士可能比较困难。
到达酒厂后,您可以参加预约参观,费用全免。您必须提前四周预约。参观内容包括在品鉴室品尝威士忌,还可以参观威士忌酒厂的炉膛和历史建筑。一切都是日语,没有英语,但即使你一个字都不懂,也绝对值得一去,因为你无需翻译就能感受到炉子的热度,或是闻到麦芽汁的香气。
这里还有一个博物馆,无需预约。馆内设有付费品鉴区。品鉴区与需要预约的参观路线基本相同,只是拍照时不会进入建筑内部。馆内有一些英文标识。
这里还有一家名为“Rita's Kitchen”的餐厅,是创始人苏格兰妻子的餐厅。食物略贵,但毕竟是非日式料理,是个不错的休憩之所。
酒厂商店里出售三款酒厂特供威士忌,非常特别,别处买不到。此外,商店里还有纪念品和礼品出售。如果购买的物品太重,他们也提供收费的邮寄服务。
酒厂的设计非常人性化,方便游客参观。庄园内有很多拍照点。即使你不是威士忌爱好者,这里也趣味盎然,绝对值得你花时间和精力来参观。
这是一次非常棒的体验。