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Company name: Miyazato
Distillery
Founded: 1946
Address: 645 Oroku, Naha City
TEL: 098-857-3065 |
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The distillery's Harusame
brand expresses hope and blessings. Produced in an urban area of
Naha, it passes on the flavor of the past to contemporary society.
The Miyazato Distillery, located in Koroku, a new residential neighborhood
of Naha, is not so easy to find. But, upon arrival, the old wooden
structure makes you forget that it is located in an urban area;
it almost looks as if time has stopped there.
42-year-old Toru Miyazato is the third owner of the distillery.
He says that he has learned the trade through practice and by watching
what others do, relying heavily on perception and palate. He says
that he collected a lot of data during the first three years and
made graphs on the condition of the rice when it was washed, and
how the weather, temperature, and amount of water influenced the
process of awamori-making. Mr. Miyazato believes that the
timing for placing the koji mold into the rice sets the tone
of the resulting awamori. He carefully looks after the kusu
from day to day.
The distillery mainly produces kusu and constantly ships
products that are 10, 15 and 20 years old. About 20 percent of the
kusu is shipped outside of Okinawa, reflecting an increased
interest from fans outside the prefecture.
The distillery was the first in Okinawa to employ stainless tanks
to store kusu. It now wants to preserve more kusu,
but suffers from lack of space. Mr. Miyazato makes his own distillation
machinery, and is also in charge of the inspection and repair of
equipment.
The distillery is now run by three relatively young people. The
master distiller, Shinya Tedokon, is only 26 years old. But the
spirit of awamori-making, passed down from the distillery
founder, Kisei Miyazato, lives on. The soothing texture and taste
has won the hearts of local people and awamori experts outside
Okinawa alike.
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