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Company name: Kin Distillery,
Inc.
Founded: 1949
Address: 4823-1 Aza Kin, Kin Town, Kunigami-gun
TEL: 098-968-2438
FAX: 098-968-2473 |
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This 'romantic' awamori,
matured inside a limestone cave, has been developing fans in Okinawa
and elsewhere.
Kin Distillery is unique in that it preserves and matures awamori
in the famous limestone cave called 'Nisshudo' within the compound
of the traditional red-brick Kin Kannon Temple, the only temple
that escaped destruction during the war. The cave was the birthplace
for belief in the Dragon King. It has been 15 years since Kin Distillery
began maturing awamori in the cave. It now stores 9,000 1.8
liter bottles there. The temperature and humidity levels in the
cave remain unchanged throughout the year, providing a perfect setting
for maturing awamori. Kin's Tatsu ('Dragon') brand
ripens with age in this cave.
The distillery was founded in 1949. The third owner, Hisato Okuma,
works with his 90-year-old grandmother and her great-grandchildren
to produce awamori. The owner himself is the master distiller,
and he is fully backed by his family to produce Tatsu, a
brand that features a rich sweetness. Mr. Okuma says that he had
put a great deal of effort into making kusu so that the small
distiller will find a place in people's hearts. The Kannon Chaya,
an antenna shop within the temple compound, allows people to have
a taste of the liquor, while promoting sales. There are thousands
of bottles in the limestone cave bearing the name of their owners.
One can easily sense that this distillery takes great pride in its
products and also has affection for them. Customers buy a bottle
of awamori, and pay a fee for a five- or 12-year storage
service. They then wait till the awamori is matured. Many
people buy the bottles as gifts for anniversaries or celebrations.
The aged awamori, that has quietly matured in a limestone
cave, is delivered to its owner after five or 12 years. The idea
is to entrust people's dreams to the production of fine liquor. |
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