Zuisen

Zuisen Shuzo is a production company based on the beautiful island of Okinawa, Japan, which devotes itself with care and meticulous precision to the production of awamori, a traditional Okinawan alcoholic beverage obtained from the distillation of a fermented rice product. This is a historic distillery, one of the most important on the island, founded in 1887, and from the very beginning has been associated with awamori of the highest quality. At the time, to ensure high production standards, the government of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, an archipelago of which Okinawa is part, established that awamori distillation could only take place in three castle towns: Sakiyama, Akata and Torihori. These towns, called 'Sanka', were responsible for controlling and guaranteeing the quality and traditional flavour of the drink. The Zuisen Shuzo business began in the historic Shuri Castle in Sakiyama, where distillery founder Kouei Kyan, the third son of a local awamori producer, took inspiration from the stone fountain called 'Zuisen' located at the second gate of the castle. It was particularly the verses engraved on the fountain that inspired Mr Kyan.

The production of Zuisen Shuzo awamori begins with the selection of long Indica rice grains, the cuticle of which is removed before washing and steaming. At this point we proceed with the inoculation of the black Koji mushroom, known by the scientific name of Aspergillus awamori, a different species to the Koji used in the production of sake or shochu, discovered on the island of Okinawa and closely linked to the awamori tradition. This fungus initiates a fundamental metabolic process in which the starch contained in the rice is converted into simple sugars, which are then transformed by yeasts during alcoholic fermentation. Once the two fermentations are complete, the distillate is distilled in stills and then diluted to the desired alcohol content, usually around 30% alcohol by volume. The production cycle ends with the maturation phase, which takes place partly in steel tanks and partly in traditional earthenware jars called 'kame'.

The awamori produced by the Zuisen Shuzo distillery stand out for their smooth and persuasive taste, as well as their delicate and characteristic aromas of spices and sweet fruits.