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Company name: Izena Distillery
& Co.
Founded: 1949
Address: 736 Aza Izena, Izena Village, Shimajiri-gun
TEL: 0980-45-2089
FAX: 0980-45-2614 |
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The auspicious symbols
of cranes, turtles and the sunrise set the stage for a retro-chic
and kitsch world of awamori.
Izena is a small island, just 17 kilometers in circumference, which
lies in the East China Sea off the coast of the Motobu Peninsula
on the Okinawan main island. It is well known for its famous Ryukyu
pine trees and its azaleas. The Izena Distillery stands in a beautiful
residential area with walls made from coral.
The present owner, Hideo Miyagi, produces awamori on this
island in rich natural surroundings. He is very particular about
the water used. In fact, he uses three kinds to produce his distilled
liquor: hard water to wash the rice, because it soaks best into
the rice; sweet soft water to prepare the koji mash; and
tasty, refined water when determining the alcohol content. It's
a luxurious kind of approach that's unique to Izena, the home of
good rice and abundant high-quality natural water.
Izena was also the birthplace of Sho-en, the first king of the second
Sho Dynasty. Izena's Kanemaru brand of awamori uses his name
when he was a small child. The noble aroma and the tasty and mellow
texture cannot be properly described in words-only those who have
tried it know what it is all about. It goes very well with hot water,
which brings out the vanilla-like aroma. Awamori is a living
creature that ages with time. It also tastes somewhat different
depending on the earthenware pots in which it is placed. Mr. Miyagi
says that Kanemaru is made from kusu matured only in the
finest, carefully-selected earthenware pots. One can see that Mr.
Miyagi has deep respect for the heroic figure who was born on an
island but went on to conquer the Okinawa islands and become the
King of the Ryukyu Kingdom. His respect can be tasted in his noble
awamori. |
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