TOKYO -- Located between the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, the fabled Yamazaki distillery, owned and operated by Japanese drinks giant Suntory Holdings, has long been a favorite destination for whiskey connoisseurs from around the world.

After opening in 1924 and launching its signature Suntory kakubin , square bottle, in 1937, the Yamazaki has produced some of the world's most coveted whiskies.

After Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 was named as best whiskey in Jim Murray's Whiskey Bible 2015, a bottle of 50-year-old Yamazaki fetched $343,000 at auction in Hong Kong in 2018. Other Yamazaki whiskies have become virtually impossible to buy owing to huge international demand.

But now, of course, with the 300,000 tourists who usually pass through its doors each year all but gone because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Suntory has been forced to shut down the distillery to visitors.

All of which presents something of a problem for a company which, as Suntory's CEO Takeshi Niinami said in an interview with Nikkei Asia last year , "loves human contact, which is an instinct of human life."

Paying customers can participate in a live virtual tour that comes with a real guide as well as a bottle of whiskey and a special glass. (Photo courtesy of Suntory)

As the historic distillery has played such an important role in attracting consumers globally, the pandemic has forced Suntory to rethink its whiskey marketing strategy and come up with some unique solutions. Japan has seen a sharp increase in infections of coronavirus variants in recent months, prompting the government extend its third COVID state of emergency until late May in Tokyo and other prefectures.

"We would like to increase the number of whiskey fans, even under the coronavirus pandemic" Suntory Spirits' Mineyuki Motoyama told reporters.

A key part of the strategy has been the launch of a virtual tour of the Yamazaki distillery and the Hakushu distillery, also known as the "mountain forest distillery," in Yamanashi prefecture, that gives visitors the sense of being inside the hallowed distillery grounds without setting foot outside their homes.

The virtual tour gives visitors the option of participating in a whiskey education course. For 3,300 yen ($30), would-be whiskey connoisseurs are sent a box of whiskey -- and a special glass -- to sample during the course.

With a real guide taking people through a live guide of the distillery and the Yamazaki and Hakushu whiskies is made, participants are able to have their questions answered in real-time, just as if they were there in person. The tour is currently only conducted in Japanese but Suntory is looking to add more languages later.

A free online tour doesn't come with a tour guide, but still gives participants the ability to walk around the distillery via 360-degree video.