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Company name: Tsukazan
Distillery & Co.
Founded: 1927
Address: 447 Nago, Nago City
TEL: 0980-52-2070 |
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The kusu known by
the brand name Kokka is the pride of Kunigami-gun. Kokka
is nurtured inside a traditional red-brick building, silently awaiting
its time of full maturity.
When it began operations in 1927, Tsukazan Distillery & Co.
was the first distillery to be founded in Nago in the northern part
of the main island of Okinawa. Its awamori has been greatly
loved by the people of Nago as their only local brand since its
foundation.
The distillery is located in the central district of Nago city.
Its red-brick roof and chimney are typical of Okinawan architecture.
The founder's eldest son died in World War Two, and his best friend,
Tomonobu Zukeyama, took over. He is still the owner today. After
the war, the distillery was used to bake bread for the U.S. Army,
and it was also briefly occupied by people in the neighborhood who
had lost their homes. In other words, the distillery followed the
changing times and continued to watch over the local people.
The distillery temporarily halted production of awamori in
1982 following the death of its master distiller, but operations
resumed in 1991. The owner and his two employees are keeping the
tradition and the taste alive. Because their aim is to produce as
much as three people can manage following the traditional techniques,
preparations for the distillation process take place only twice
a month. They only sell the hand-produced kusu called Kokka.
Kokka was named in the hope it would shine radiantly in the
Kunigami local area. The distilled liquor has a splendid aroma and
a rich taste. The current president says in retrospect that he has
now in fact been making awamori longer than his predecessor
did. The distillery remains as it was before the war. There is no
doubt that it will continue to produce awamori reminiscent
of Okinawa's halcyon days for many years to come. |
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