As I mentioned last time, Kyushu is home to a wide variety of alcohol breweries, including sake, shochu, beer, wine, and whiskey.
In this article, we'll look back at the spots we visited for reasons other than sake.

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An American's Journey Exploring Kyushu's Sake Culture (Part 1)
Kyushu is a microcosm of Japan's sake culture

♯Kyushu

Okagaki Town, Fukuoka Prefecture: A Town Where You Can Experience Sake Culture

The area where we visited Shichiyo Sake Brewery also has other wine and beer breweries.
It can be said that the appeal of sake is enhanced by the existence of such things.

Budo no Ki Winery: Grape cultivation utilizing the natural blessings of Okagaki

Grano 24K Co., Ltd., the parent company, was founded in 1935 and originally ran a grape farm and inn. Its restaurant, where guests can enjoy BBQs and weddings under table vines, attracted attention and has since developed into its current business, "Budo no Ki Resort," which combines food and tourism. For many years, the company has continued to serve wine at a wide variety of restaurants and accommodations, spreading the joy of wine and food to people in the local area and throughout Kyushu. In 2021, the company opened its doors to realize its long-held dream of "making wine from home-grown grapes."

They offer red, white, and rosé wines made from grape varieties such as Niagara, Campbell Early, and Shine Muscat, but one that deserves special mention is the red wine grape variety "Fuji no Yume," which is grown in their own vineyards in several locations within the town. It is literally a "dream grape" created by crossing wild grapes native to Japan with Merlot, a high-quality grape variety native to Bordeaux, France.
According to the winemaker, Kawahara, crossing wild grapes with wild grapes will result in grapes that can withstand Japan's humid climate. Using the Fuji no Yume variety grown in their own vineyard, and cultivating a new type of natural yeast discovered in grapes also grown in their own vineyard, they have finally succeeded in producing wine that is 100% made in Okagaki.

After the tour, we sampled the grapes at Nukazuka, the vineyard that gave the wine its name Nukazuka 654. The soil is well-drained and has a large temperature difference between day and night, which allows grapes with a high sugar content to grow. The juice is fermented at low temperatures, resulting in a rich color and a complex flavor that combines the wild acidity of wild grapes with the soft tannins, spicy aroma, and fruitiness of Merlot. Furthermore, the wine is fresh thanks to the low amount of antioxidants.
Guests who have visited wineries around the world were deeply impressed by Okagaki's approach of making wine in dialogue with nature, including the climate and soil of the land, and purchased the wine without hesitation.

FUKUOKA CRAFT BREWING: Bringing craft beer culture to Fukuoka

Located about 200 meters north on the same road as Budo no Ki Winery is the FUKUOKA CRAFT BREWING brewery. As the company name suggests, the brewery pays homage to the traditional food culture of Fukuoka, while brewing craft beer with humorous recipes and names.
The company, Fukuoka Craft Co., Ltd., which operates the company, began brewing craft beer in Daimyo, Fukuoka City in 2017 under the name "FUKUOKA CRAFT by El Borracho." The company serves craft beer at its own restaurant and is a pioneer that has led the craft beer culture in Fukuoka.
While searching for a suitable site to set up a larger-scale production system, they came across Okagaki, and with the support of the town, they established a new brewery in 2022.
The reason for establishing the brewery in this location is the natural underground spring water. As you look around the brewery during your tour, you will see the numerous label stickers of the craft beers they have developed affixed to the walls and pillars, which is fun to look at.

David Victor, the American brewmaster whom I spoke to inside the brewery, is familiar with Okagaki and knows the local culture inside and out.
One proof of this is their close collaboration with the aforementioned Budo no Ki Winery, where they brew a craft beer called "BUDOU ALE" using grape juice.

Among the products developed so far, the "Tonkotsu HAZY IPA" is a particularly unique and unusual beer. Because it is unfiltered, the cloudy liquid is said to resemble the soup of tonkotsu ramen. During this trip, the guests had been very fond of the pork dishes and "tonkotsu ramen" they had tried in various places, but they were surprised and amused by the idea.

FUKUOKA CRAFT BREWING takes advantage of the local climate and incorporates the local food culture and customs of Fukuoka.
Tonkotsu IPA is just one example, but the way they express the flavors of Fukuoka with humor and skill is truly "the taste of Fukuoka from Okagaki." The global craft beer movement that continues to this day was born in America, but the passion that goes into this beer, which is made with the local water and air, is the same.

Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture: Japanese whiskey brewed in the home of shochu

The reason our guests chose Kyushu for this visit is because it is the home of shochu, a drink that, like sake, has been recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. Their desire was to experience the essence of shochu culture and see the process of whiskey production, based on Japan's unique distillation techniques. This time, we'll be taking them to Kagoshima Prefecture, which is considered the mecca of all Kyushu prefectures.

Kosei Brewing Co., Ltd.: A distillery that brews the soul of Satsuma

Just under an hour's drive from Kagoshima Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen, you'll find the Kosei Brewery Hioki Distillery on the sunny southern coast of the Satsuma Peninsula in southern Kyushu.
The company is currently a leading shochu and distilled spirits manufacturer in Kagoshima, offering a wide range of products from shochu to whiskey and craft gin, but its original business was shochu. At a modern seminar house recently established in this area surrounded by the Shirasu Plateau, we learned from brewery chief and master blender Makoto Birou about the 500-year-old shochu culture, the company's shochu-making history, and its particular production methods that combine traditional techniques with the latest technology.

Kosho Brewery was founded by the founder, Kosho Ichisuke, in 1883 (Meiji 16). Kagoshima is famous for its sweet potatoes, but the company has a history of taking on the challenge of producing high-quality rice shochu during the post-war food shortages.
It was the innovative challenge that second-generation owner Yoshinosuke Komasa brought to shochu production that made the Hioki Brewery name known nationwide. In 1957, he launched "Mellow Kozuru," Japan's first rice shochu that had been aged for a long period in barrels.
At the time, shochu was considered a "cheap drink," but the amber-colored rice shochu liquid, which took six years to perfect and was aged in barrels, completely changed the image of shochu up to that point and was highly praised both at home and abroad.

The company continued its challenge, and in 1998 it established the handmade brewery "Shitamagura," which began producing completely handmade shochu using the five senses of the master brewer and the skills of a master craftsman.
The current head of the family, the third generation Yoshifumi, strengthened relationships with contracted farmers in Kagoshima Prefecture and dramatically improved the quality of the raw sweet potatoes, resulting in the creation of the culmination of his efforts: the product "Kura no Shidama."

After hearing about how they have succeeded in adding value to shochu, the guests were intrigued and wondered, "What kind of aroma and flavor will it have?" They immediately headed to the Hioki Distillery, where many of the company's products are produced.
When you enter the distillation section, you will see a total of seven different types of stills of various shapes, and you will understand how the company is able to produce a wide variety of shochu using these stills.

After the tour, you will be guided to the Shitamagura, located on the same premises.
After changing into your shoes and entering the brewery, you can see rows of earthenware jars and a wooden barrel still at the back of the brewery, giving you a panoramic view of the traditional handmade shochu production process, from fermentation to distillation.
The water used is spring water that has been refined by the Shirasu Plateau in Satsuma, and the master brewer checks the situation with his five senses every day to create the optimal fermentation environment.

After a thorough tour of the two breweries, we returned to the seminar venue for tasting time.
Kosho Brewery boasts one of the largest product ranges in the shochu industry. From classics such as "Satsuma Kozuru," "Akazaru," "Kizaru," and "Shirozaru," to the long-aged "Mellow Kozuru Excellence," and "Mashike" and "Tenchi Suiraku," made with carefully selected sweet potatoes, we sampled three carefully selected products.

After tasting the full range, the guests were asked to choose their favorite, and they all unanimously chose "Mellow Kozuru Excellence." They described it as having a fruity, sweet, vanilla-like aroma, a mellow taste, and were surprised at its 41% alcohol content. They must have really liked it, as they left the brewery having purchased several bottles.

Kanosuke Distillery: A whisky distillery from Kagoshima taking on the world

Leaving the Hioki Distillery behind, we head towards Fukiagehama, a 47km long beach facing the East China Sea. Our destination is the Kanosuke Distillery, owned by Komasa Yoshinosuke Distillery Co., Ltd.

At the distillery, we were welcomed by Director and Chief Blender Shunichi Nakamura, who gave us an explanation of the background to the distillery's establishment.
The distillery is said to have been named after Yoshinosuke Komasa, the second-generation head brewer of the aforementioned Komasa Brewery Co., Ltd. He was an innovator who developed "Mellow Kozuru" and was the first in Japan to introduce the concept of aging to shochu. In his later years, he dreamed of finding a vast piece of land on the shores of Fukiagehama Beach and building a facility to promote shochu culture, saying, "I want to spread Kagoshima's distilled spirits culture to the world from the place with the most beautiful sunsets in Japan."
That vision was passed on to the fourth generation owner, Komasa Yoshitsugu, who established the business in the same location.

The techniques and dedication to shochu production are deeply rooted in the whiskey production at Kanosuke Distillery.
Using three pot stills, the whiskey is distilled under different conditions, allowing for the creation of four different flavors and aromas. Blending these produces a complex, deep flavor.
Furthermore, they have performed the amazing feat of blending the raw spirits from the two distilleries using the aforementioned Hioki Brewery's shochu pot still to create a sweet grain spirit made by vacuum distilling barley malt and unmalted barley mash, resulting in the creation of a whiskey called "DOUBLE DISTILLERY."

Nakamura is a seasoned professional in shochu brewing, but whisky brewing is a completely different matter. Together with President Yoshitsugu Komasa, he visited dozens of distilleries in Scotland, learning on-site, and after much trial and error, he has arrived at his current position.
As a result, the delicate distillation techniques using a pot still, the selection of ingredients, and fermentation management are also applied to whiskey production, and the oak barrels used to age MELLOWED KOZURU are carved and re-burned and used to age whiskey. This is a technique that only Kanosuke can achieve anywhere in the world. Aging in an aging warehouse facing a warm sea where the sea breeze blows gives the raw spirit a unique roundness and depth.

Finally, we had a tasting at THE MELLOW BAR.
Lined up on the single-piece counter are three types of whiskey born in the natural surroundings of this area: "Kanosuke SINGLE MALT," the limited edition "HIOKI POT STILL," and the blended whiskey "Kanosuke DOUBLE DISTILLERY."

With the background music of jazz master John Coltrane playing, you can nibble on nuts smoked over wood from retired barrels, and enjoy the sweet, fruity aroma and long aftertaste of the whiskey you're sipping, creating a truly mellow moment.
While enjoying the afterglow, guests bought bottles exclusive to the distillery and took photos of the distillery nestled against Fukiagehama Beach.

Alcohol speaks the language of the land

Kyushu produces a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, and each type of alcohol speaks its own language.
The sake here can be enjoyed not only with the palate but also with the body and mind through dialogue with the brewers. Guests were so busy buying their favorites at the breweries and distilleries they visited that they couldn't fit everything in the suitcases they brought with them, so they had to quickly buy a larger suitcase in Kagoshima.

When they later notified us of their safe return, they sent us a group photo of the 31 bottles of alcohol they had bought in various parts of Kyushu. Each label spoke volumes about the richness of Kyushu's alcohol culture.

writer:
Fumiaki Kishihara / Sommelier, HBA cocktail advisor. He loves sake and other alcoholic beverages around the world. He has served as brand manager for the world's three major beer brands and Western alcoholic beverages.
32 years of experience in the alcoholic beverage industry both in Japan and overseas, including running a craft brewery in Kyoto. Supports the global expansion of ambitious Japanese alcoholic beverages. Representative of BOONE LLC. National Licensed Guide-Interpreter. Resides in Tokyo.