Kyushu Prefecture- home of the Kyo-ya distillery

A hillside view of the Kyo-ya distillery in the Miyazaki prefecture on the Southernmost island of Japan. Founded in 1834, they have been creating artisanal shochu for several generations. These are made in small batches by sixth generation master distiller Watanabe San in an attempt to push the boundaries of shochu production whilst retaining tradition and integrity. The distillery operates in picturesque surroundings and looks to ensure that it supports nature and its environment.

The forest surrounding the Kyo-ya distillery and home to its water source

The forests surrounding the distillery protect and preserve the water source that is so integral to the shochu production. The temperate climate and dedication to the conservation of the surrounding area ensures that the conditions for shochu production are of the highest quality- providing the perfect backdrop for the creation of KIGO.

Processing the sweet potatoes

Organic sweet potatoes- kara-imo, first brought to Japan from China around 1700- are grown in the surroundings of the distillery to ensure their quality and minimal impact on the environment. In the same manner, the Yamadanichiki rice is grown in fields that are inhabited by aigami ducks which fertilise the paddies with their droppings, churn the water and encourage a biodiversity within the growing fields.
The sweet potatoes are then sorted and milled into a mash bill for fermentation.

Spreading of the mash

Here Koji is mixed into the sweet potato mash bill. Koji is made from cooked rice and/or soya beans, which is cultured with Aspergillus oryzae. Koji forms a base of many traditional Japanese products such as Soy sauce, Miso and Mirin. The enzymes present in the culture are used to break down the complex starches into sugars that the yeast can act upon to ferment into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Loading the unglazed clay pots for fermentation

The kyo-ya distillery have been using kume- large unglazed ceramic pots- for almost 200 years. These sit within the ground, and are neither heated or cooled to give a very natural fermentation. The sweet potato and water are mixed with koji and poured into the kume. Here they will sit for anything between 1-2weeks where the enzymes will convert the starches into sugars and help develop part of the flavour profile.

kume

The kume here within the fermentation room will be filled with the mash that has been cultured with koji and rested for a few weeks. Here yeast will be added and a slow process of 2-3 weeks fermentation will take place and a complex body of flavours will be developed and alcohol produced.



Here the kume can be seen during the winter/new year period with festive decorations adorning the room.



Below are the clay kume that have been cleaned and dried. The spirit once it comes off the still, will be stored and aged within these clay pots, then later mixed with soft local water.

Stills at Kyo-ya distillery

The stills at Kyo-yo can be operated under pressure by reverting steam back into the still. This allows a low pressure distillation to take place- ensuring the delicate flavours created during the long fermentation are preserved. This is especially the case in light of the fact that KIGO is only single distilled so the method is essential to retain all the delicate notes.