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Company Name: Kamiya Distillery
Founded: 1949
Address: 1421 Kochinda Town, Shimajiri-gun
TEL/FAX: 098-99-2108 |
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Handing down tasty liquor
production using the good ol' methods in the peaceful countryside
of Kochinda.
Founded in 1949, Kamiya distiller has now entered its third generation.
After the former chief distiller fell ill in 1995, the present president,
Masaki Kamiya, took over the position of master distiller. The distillery
now produces 3,000 liters of awamori every month.
The making of awamori has not been an easy path for President
Kamiya. It had only been three months since he started his training
when he succeeded to the family business. Being a rookie with little
knowledge, he had to start from scratch. Although he attained help
from fellow distillers, most of the work was self-taught. According
to Mr. Kamiya, it was 'a process where fun came before hardships'.
Nankou, produced over a lengthy period of slow, steady and
patient work, seems to reflect President Kamiya's personality in
its soft and mellow flavor. It is a warm and peaceful liquor that
reminds us of the quiet countryside and the breeze that passes over
Kochinda town, the home of the Kamiya Distillery in the southern
part of the main island of Okinawa.
President Kamiya, whose aim is to make 'refined liquor with a brandy-like
sweetness', works under his motto, 'Be loyal to fundamentals'. Even
his regular brands take six months before being shipped out-three
months for production and three months for maturing. Mr. Kamiya
plans to go even further back to fundamentals in the future by using
earthenware pots for preparation and handmade apparatus for distillation.
The company is also enthusiastically developing products for tourists.
Brands of awamori bottled in decorative pots, such as Yopparai
shiisa ('Drunken Shiisa Lions'), Yane shiisa ('Roof-top
Shiisa')', and Ryuto ('Dragon Heda')' are among the most popular
products. |
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