A Summer Poured in Hokkaido

Beneath the postcard veneer of its powder-white ski runs and rolling lavender fields, Hokkaido holds a story of quiet reinvention.

Settled in the 19th century, the island’s frontier spirit has since fermented into a vibrant craft-spirits landscape—one shaped by volcanic soil, cold air, and centuries of preservation rituals.

This summer, Raskuan traces Hokkaido’s living, fermenting intelligence: a liquid cartography of its soul, shaped by frost, poured in summer breeze.

From delicate sakes and earthy shochus to wild berry wines, experimental gins, and cedar-aged whiskies, each spirit carries the signature of climate and culture. Even the smallest rituals—the way soju is served beside pickled sea urchin and fermented pumpkin—reveal how deeply this island drinks from its own terroir.

We follow the pulse of the Sapporo Summer Festival, where cold beer and Genghis Khan lamb sizzle into memory. But the story flows far beyond the beer tents. It winds through shochu houses and lavender-scented gin labs, through distilleries ageing spirits in cherrywood casks monitored by digital humidity systems.

Every moment in this journey is not simply to taste, but to witness Hokkaido’s alchemy at work. And when the final glass meets your lips, you’ll realise—you haven’t just explored a land of spirits. You’ve carried its quiet revolution within you.

Join a select circle of twenty-four for A Summer Poured in Hokkaido.

The craft.
The customs.
The climate.