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Company Name: Chuko Distillery
Founded: 1949
Address: 132 Aza Nakachi, Tomishiro Town
TEL: 098-850-1257
FAX: 098-850-1204 |
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The Chairman himself makes
the earthenware pots for the liquor! A passion for producing vintage
kusu entrusted in early European-style earthenware.
It was in 1949 when Tadataka Oshiro succeeded to a distillery owned
by the village of Tomishiro, located near Naha on the main island
of Okinawa. Over the three generations since then, the Chuko distillery
has continued to make efforts to hand down and realize the culture
surrounding awamori. In particular, its production of earthenware
distinguishes it from other distillers. Shigeru Oshiro, the second
generation owner and present company chairman, works on the potter's
wheel himself to make pots for the liquor.
Although it has long been known that kusu is best made by
preserving it in roughly baked earthenware, not many distillers
have taken the time to study pottery. Chairman Oshiro's interest
in pottery started when he traveled to Gifu Prefecture and visited
a local pottery-making class. Since then, he has carried out thorough
research in search of earthenware that will assist with the aging
of awamori and earthenware that will not 'let the awamori
escape'. The completed pottery, made from the local red clay known
as Shimajiri jargal is roughly baked earthenware reminiscent
of the early European style, and it has become so popular that production
cannot keep up with demand.
Although automated production is incorporated under the distillery's
policy of 'Let the machine do what it can do, to allow us to spend
more time communicating with awamori', the company works
'in full pursuit of genuine luxury in terms of both the content
and the container'. If you taste Jin, a liquor that uses
only the finest part of the distillate, you will be able to understand
exactly what this means. Awamori made under the watchful
eye of the president, Tsutomu Oshiro, who works 'to create a proper
awamori culture', plus a pot made by Chairman Oshiro of such
considerable artistic merit that he regularly wins a prize at the
Oki Exhibition-it's a perfect combination that attracts the many
fans who come to the factory for a liquor that is a delight both
to the eyes and the palate. |
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