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Company name: Sakiyama
Distillery
Founded: 1905
Address: 751 Aza Igei, Kin Town, Kunigami-gun
TEL/FAX: 098-968-2417 |
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This distillery, with a
history of nearly 100 years, uses soft water from the Onna Mountains
around the famous rice production center of Kin to produce quality
liquor.
This long-established distillery was founded in Shuri in 1905. It
restarted operations as a public distillery during the Okinawa occupation.
Its current president is the fourth generation. Shortly after the
war, the distillery moved to Igei, a rare district blessed with
soft water, whereas hard water is the norm in Okinawa. The meeting
of the distillery, which has maintained traditional awamori
production methods, and the natural water in the town resulted in
production of sweet, mellow, savory awamori.
The Matsufuji brand takes its name from the second owner,
Kisho Sakiyama , and his wife, Fujiko. It is a popular brand among
awamori experts, and they constantly come from all over the
prefecture to purchase it. The present owner, Kazuaki Sakiyama,
majored in Brewing at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and he
has been involved in making awamori ever since. Kazuaki says that
rice and water are indispensable for the production of awamori.
But since most producers use the same kind of rice, it's the water
that gives shape to all the different varieties of awamori
produced in the prefecture. Just after the war, distillers made
awamori from any ingredient that contained sugar, such as
chocolate and candy obtained from U.S. soldiers, dried apples and
grapes. That was a time when no one could afford to stop and think
of what really defined awamori. When you taste Matsufuji,
which has been matured for five years, you cannot help thinking
of its manufacturers who have zealously protected the traditional
production methods despite all the years of hardship. The five-year-old
awamori has been made possible by the rich and vast natural
blessings of the Onna Mountains. Its mellow texture perfectly reflects
the natural landscape. |
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