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Company name: Irinamihira
Distillery Co., Ltd.
Founded: 1989
Address: 144 Aza Yonagumi, Yonaguni Town, Yaeyama-gun
TEL:09808-7-2431
FAX:09808-7-2420 |
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The kusu called Maifuna,
with an alcohol content of 60 degrees, is a robust spirit, with
a deep, sweet, unforgettable flavor.
The distiller broke off from Kokusen Awamori Corporation
in 1989 to become the third awamori distiller on Yonaguni
Island. The present owner, Nobuyoshi Irinamihira, the third to date,
has been preserving the traditions passed on by his grandfather.
The name of the main brand, Maifuna, means 'dutiful, hardworking
child' in the local dialect. When Hanazaki liquor was presented
to a Ryukyu king about 250 years ago, the king praised it, and a
dance called 'Maifuna' was performed to pass the king's appreciation
on to the Yonaguni islanders. The Irinamihira Distillery took up
the challenge of reproducing the liquor, and produced its own brand,
Hanazaki Maifuna.
Hanazaki is a liquor with an alcohol content of 60 percent,
and production is permitted only to the distillers on Yonaguni Island.
It is made from the first drops of distillate. Legally, it is classified
as 'spirits', and not awamori. The distillery has further
matured the liquor to produce kusu. It believes that only
good new liquor can be made into tasty kusu, so it takes
extra care in producing a main mash without acidity. It is a strong
liquor, but it is easy to drink, and the sweetness it imparts to
the throat is incomparable. It has a noble, yet gentle taste that
seems to reflect the features of the land where it was produced
and the spirit of the people who created it. |
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