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Company Name: Miyanohana
Distillery Co., Ltd.
Founded: 1948
Address: 158-1 Aza Nakachi, Irabu Town, Miyako-gun
TEL:09807-8-3008
FAX:09807-8-3559 |
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The awamori, produced
by a female master distiller, has a deep and subtle taste.
Most of the staff at this distillery are women. The Miyanohana Distillery
is on Irabu Island, a 20-minute ferry ride from the main Miyako
Island. It is located near the bridge that connects the islands
of Irabu and Shimoji, where a pilot training site is located, and
is surrounded by vast sugar cane fields. It was a pig farm until
the Okinawa reversion in 1972.
The distillery was named 'Miyanohana' ('Flower of Miya')
in the hope that it would become a flower in the Miyako Islands
that would never wither. It was founded by Seiko Shimoji in August
1948, and is now run by his third son, Seiryo. The Kiku no Tsuyu
Distillery on Miyako Island is now run by his brother. The members
of the family are widely acknowledged to be master awamori-makers.
The present owner says that making liquor is often likened to the
raising of young children, which is why his distillery employs women
to carry out the 'child rearing'. The distillery makes extra efforts
to keep its factory clean. Everything has a waterproof coating,
and quality is managed with strict standards. The master distiller
is Yoko Shimoji, the owner's wife. The distillery produces an elegant
awamori that is fruity and richly sweet, typical of grain
liquor.
The distillery was the first to produce liquor matured in barrels.
It produces white bottles of 'oak awamori' with an alcohol
content of 25-30%, bottles with labels featuring nearby scenic spots
such as Sunayama beach and Higashi-hennazaki, and a brand named
after Yaebishi with an alcohol content of 35%. Popular brands
include Toyomiya, with an alcohol content of 30%, which is
sold only on the island, and a 10-year-old awamori with an
alcohol content of 35%, sold in black bottles.
The Miyako Islands are very particular about awamori. In
fact, the islands are called 'the Islands of Drinkers'. The islanders
drink kusu in black bottles in their favorite bars and pubs.
The liquor made on the island uses hard water from dams under elevated
coral reefs, and it is said to be perfect for producing awamori.
The Miyanohana brand has a poised and subtly sweet taste.
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