This Month on Maction Planet – July 2026

July was all about my time interning at the Rishiri Distillery. One of the most incredible months of my life. ‘Nuff said.

Featured image: When my month was over, as if by destiny, the island saw me off with this absolutely spectacular view from the plane.

After a few days of milling, it was time for the first bottling day of the month. One my favourite photos from my entire month on Rishiri comes from that day, featuring Kohei and Ikegami-san through the looking glass… I mean spirit still!

Toshi is the legend who picked me up from the airport, and here we are enjoying some Friday after-work drinks, including Aullido [Spanish for howl] Whisky from Chile made by none other than Javier Negrete, Head Distiller at the Rishiri Distillery. Tasting this helped me understand his mindset when it came to constructing the mashbill for the Rishiri Distillery’s core recipe.

4 July was my first day mashing under the tutelage of the happiest man on Rishiri Island, Mashman Kohei. By all accounts I did a good job!

As the month progressed Kohei became my partner in crime in my attempts to drink as much wort as possible!

As the meme goes, find someone who looks at you the way Mac looks at Rishiri Distillery wort.

After all that mashing we were rewarded with an exclusive invite to the pre-opening party for Amber Shore, Toshi’s bar venture which, spoiler alert, is amazing and a must-visit in Kutsugata.

The next day my job was labelling the bottles we had bottled on Thursday! I managed to get through over 100 by myself on my first go which is, apparently, pretty good!

Just an ordinary day at the Rishiri Distillery. What a truly beautiful place.

8 July was the first full day I worked with Quentin, who I met when I came up to fill our barrel two years ago. We worked togehter on first and second distillation, proofing, filling barrels, fixing barrels and much more over my time at Rishiri.

Guarana is one of Hokkaido’s great regional obsessions, and now one of mine. A dark, caffeinated, slightly herbal fizzy drink made from the guarana plant, native to the Amazon, it was first developed in Japan in 1958, when local soft drink makers got wind that Coca-Cola was coming and decided to get there (somewhere?) first. Coca-Cola reached Hokkaido three years later than Honshu, and by then guarana had already taken root. Kirin’s version has been on shelves since 1982 and remains Hokkaido-exclusive to this day. It tastes like something between cola, Dr Pepper and something altogether wilder. Kirin Guarana is the second-best Guarana, number two to Co-Up’s version but significantly better than Seicomart’s offering.

I was honoured to represent Kamui Whisky K.K. at the Hokkaido Whisky and Spirits Fest 2026!

Another of my favourite photos. This is iconic Rishirifuji reflected in a barrel top!

The island is frequently bathed in some fantastic sunsets. 22 July 2026 was my favourite!

Another of my favourite photos, for obvious reasons!

Unimaru was the scene of my the first of several farewell parties! Thank you Unimaru Mama for hosting!

On my last full day on Rishiri Island, 26 July, I woke up at 0500 and participated in an extended three and half hour session of konbu drying!

Rishiri is famous for three things: konbu, uni and of course now whisky. The island’s cold, nutrient-rich waters produce kelp widely regarded as the finest in Japan for making dashi, the clear, umami-rich stock that underpins much of Japanese cuisine. Rishiri konbu yields a particularly clean, elegant broth, which is why it has long been the konbu of choice. It’s harvested by hand in summer and then spread out on nets like these to dry – physical, labour-intensive work that has defined life on this island for generations. Wellies are mandatory.

Staying on Rishiri Island for one month meant I developed a relationship with Rishirifuji. Sometimes here, sometimes not, it shapes your life on the island. Which is why I needed a photo in front of it alone…

… and as part of Rishiri’s Magnificent Seven! What an incredible group of people. I arrived as an intern but I left as family. Cannot wait to see them all again.

As well as being an amazing teacher, Quentin is also an incredible photographer and he caught me in the act during one of my final tasks, tightening some barrel hoops!

And then it was time for the goodbyes! M & M – Masato and Mac. My first senpai who taught me how to mill back in June! The world’s nicest millman!

I owe this incredible experience to Casey Wahl, founder of Kamui Whisky K.K. and Javier Negrete, the head distiller. Here are Javier and I filling barrel KW-200X, the Rishiri Distillery’s 200th barrel, together!

And here we are hanging out towards the end of a long day – still working though, talking through a [REDACTED] tasting and chatting about life and whisky.

And then, far too soon, it was time for me to return to Tokyo.

If you want to find out more about the Rishiri Distillery, check out this five-video playlist in which I fill my own barrel, learn about new make, taste it with the distillery founder, interview the founder and try the distillery’s first three-year-old!

Maction Planet runs bespoke Private Tours and Experiences in Tokyo, and beyond. To book yours, or to purchase a gift card, contact us at info@mactionplanet.com

You can subscribe to the Maction Planet newsletter below, and follow all our adventures on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | LinkedIn | Mixcloud.