【AREA_PR】THE ROOTS OF SHUN (March 2021)

Savoring Tokyo Islands Spirits, the Distilled Liquor Yet Unknown to the World

Shochu-making has been practiced for over 100 years on the Tokyo Islands. Recently, interest outside the islands has increased in Tokyo Islands spirits, and they have been lauded as the unicorn of shochu due to their rare, unique flavors. Here, we introduce the rich characters of the islands spirits and the distilleries that produce them.

Distilleries on the Tokyo Islands

• Oshima

  Taniguchi Shuzo

  

  Established in 1937. The name of the flagship brand "Gojinka" refers to the flames spewed from the volcano Mt. Mihara on Oshima. To produce shochu, they use underground water from Mt. Mihara behind the distillery. Taniguchi, the third-generation head of the distillery, produces barley shochu made with Nijo barley grown in Japan as well as a blended shochu made with barley and organic sweet potato grown in Japan.

  Flagship brand: Gojinka Standard

  URL： http://www.gojinka.co.jp/
• Toshima

  Toshima Farm Co., Ltd.

  

  Established in 2015. The distillery began by growing lily bulbs on Toshima, where large Sakuyuri lilies (Lilium auratum) bloom in early summer; they produced a shochu with help from a Kumamoto Prefecture distillery. Toshima Farm’s products have lower alcohol content. The lineup includes the easy-to-drink “Hana” and the versatile “Rei.”

  Flagship brand: Sakuyuri

  URL： https://xn--y8jl2mqa5414b9sn.tokyo/
• Niijima

  Niijima Distillery, Miyahara Inc.

  

  Niijima Shuzo opened for business in 1926 as a sake brewery. After the war, Miyahara Shuzo became independent and began producing shochu. Today, the distillery produces barley and sweet potato shochu made with barley koji as well as rice shochu made with rice koji. It also produces unfiltered and undiluted bottled shochu.

  Flagship brand: Shimajiman Habushiura

  URL： http://shimajiman.com
• Shikinejima

  Okuyama Limited Compan

  

  Okuyama, a shop on Shikinejima, and Hachijojima Shuzo coproduce shochu. They are enlisting the help of locals to expand the farm and mass-produce Shikine's American yam. They distill the shochu at Hachijojima Shuzo, and the three-year vintage beverage is elegant and very mellow yet retains the aroma of yams.

  Flagship brand: Jinata

  URL： http://www2e.biglobe.ne.jp/~shikine/terapi/0980.htm
• Kozushima

  Kozushima Distillery

  

  Established in 1894. The name of its flagship brand "Moriwaka" is derived from the young fishermen who run the island. The shochu made with crystalline spring water has a mellow flavor produced by Japanese Nijo barley with a polishing ratio of 30%; it is distilled under reduced pressure. In recent years, the distillery has also produced shochu aged in old wine barrels.

  Flagship brand: Moriwaka Kashidaru Chozo

  URL： http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~kozu/
• Miyakejima

  Miyakejima Distillery

  

  The distillery was founded in 1929 as Igaya Shuzo. The volcanic eruption in 2000 subjected the entire island to an evacuation order. When the order was lifted, the defunct distillery was relocated to new facilities under a reconstruction project in 2007 and production resumed. The barley shochu made with hand-washed rice koji has a characteristic mellowness similar to sake.

  Flagship brand: Oyamaichi

  URL： http://www.oyama1.tokyo/
• Hachijojima

  Kashitate Shuzo

  

  Established in 1925. The distillery produces shochu in a factory surrounded by greenery midway up Mt. Mihara. They use custom-made copper pot stills based on the belief that distillation significantly influences how shochu turns out. They use barley and barley koji, and their shochu has an aromatic richness and clean flavor.

  Flagship brand: Shima-no-Hana

  URL： http://park18.wakwak.com/~ssasa/shima/
• Hachijojima

  Sakashita Shuzo

  

  The distillery was established in 1925 by merging all the distilleries in the Sakashita district of Hachijojima, which is divided into the Sakashita and Sakaue districts. They are committed to producing shochu through traditional, normal pressure distillation, which retains the ingredients' flavors. In 2011, they acquired Isozaki Shuzo’s brand Kihachijo and resumed production of it.

  Flagship brand: Kihachijo

  URL： http://kuroshio.atukan.com
• Hachijojima

  Hachijojima Shuzo

  

  Founded in 1915 as Seigoro Sakaya, the company sold an authentic shochu, "Yae." They established Hachijo Shuzo in 1927 and have built up a history of more than 100 years through a consistent devotion to the use of quality ingredients. Edochu, made with Hachijojima's sweet potatoes and Japanese barley, is enjoyable for its deep, changing flavor.

  Flagship brand: Edochu

  URL： http://www.hachijojimashuzo.com
• Hachijojima

  Hachijo Kohatsu

  

  Established in 1947. The distillery began by producing sugarcane shochu in pursuit of promoting local industries. They produce authentic shochu that is made possible by the island's climate. The barley shochu Nasakejima is their flagship brand. They also actively collaborate with Hachijojima's lemon and dairy producers.

  Flagship brand: Nasakejima Mugi

  URL： http://www.hachijo-oni.co.jp/
• Aogashima

  Aogashima Shuzo Limited Partnership

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  Distillers came together in 1984 to start the company. On an island with a population of 170, the smallest in Japan, they carry on with old ways of making shochu from the days when people made shochu at home. The spirits they produce are attractive because of the production methods that vary by distiller and the unique flavors that the different ingredients produce.

  Flagship brand: Aochu Sweet Potato shochu / Aochu Ikenosawa Sweet Potato

  URL： http://ao-chu.com/
• Ogasawara Islands

  Ogasawara Rum & Liqueur

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  The company was established in 1989 to produce sugarcane rum. Before the war, the islanders enjoyed a liquor made by fermenting and distilling the molasses that resulted from producing sugar. The mellow sweetness and strength unique to sugarcane give the shochu a tropical, sunny note.

  Flagship brand: Passion Liqueur / Kaitei Jukusei Rum Mother

  URL： http://www.oga-rum.com/