Komoro Distillery

Located at the foot of Mount Asama, Komoro Distillery is a whisky distillery integrated with visitor centre. Whisky production, also known as the water of life, is nothing more than the coagulation and filtration of the blessings of the climate. Here, a new distillery was requested to respect and contribute to both craftsmanship and the environment. The architecture was therefore designed to provide a backdrop against which people, nature and whisky take center stage, while respecting the philosophy of whisky production. The production and experience of whisky coexist under one roof on stepped floors that follows the undulations of the foothills. The facade of the building presents as two different buildings: the distillery side, tailored to showcase the distilling equipment, and the visitor centre side, where visitors are greeted by large eaves cladded with local larch. The distillation room, lined with copper pot stills and other distilling equipment, is a single room space 420 m2 in size, reaching 10 m high. Adjacent to it is a two-storey visitor centre, with the floor height kept low so that distillation facilities are close by from anywhere in the upper and lower floors of the visitor centre. The ground floor of the visitor centre is a flexible column-free space measuring 16 m square, with a deep plane that attenuates outside light and thus accentuates the surrounding views of the distillation equipment under skylights and the bright outdoor. The floor level is aligned with the working floor level in the distillation room, so that visitors can enjoy tastings while viewing the distilling equipment from the same vantage point as the distiller. The second-floor slab is a monolithic mass of 600 mm deep H-beams supported by a 1050 mm deep box girder, over which hangs a monocoque staircase inspired by copper pot still making. The second floor, comprising a blending room, an analysis lab, a lounge and a multi-purpose room, is where the Whisky Academy is held for in-depth whisky study. The space is lit by high sidelights to check the colour of whisky in natural light, and the number of test bottles will gradually increase over time, adding to the ambience of the space. The waste heat from the whisky production process is reused by heat exchangers, and in summer the hot air is drawn in from the riverside along the site and discharged outdoors by gravity ventilation. In winter, warmth is transferred to the visitor centre side through sashes designed to increase the heat bridges. The philosophy of this architecture, which is to carefully analyze the surrounding environment, thoroughly examine the characteristics of the materials and build only with what is truly necessary, was inspired by the philosophy of whisky production that this distillery aims to achieve.