Taikai Shuzo President, Naomasa Kono (left), and Master Brewer-Distiller, Yoshiyuki Omure pause for a photo on the second floor of the distillery. Behind them are three maekake, traditional aprons bearing the branding of three popular Taikai products. "Everyone at this distillery must learn how koji mold grows on steamed rice before they can do anything else in the company,” … [Read more...]
Okuchi Distillery: A Kagoshima Favorite from the Isa Basin
The earliest known written reference to shochu was discovered at Kōriyama Hachiman Shrine in the small valley city of Isa, Kagoshima. Dating from 1559, the reference is actually graffiti, a protest by the carpenters who hid their complaint within the roof’s rafters. They were upset that they were not given any shochu while working on the shrine, a considerable slight since the … [Read more...]