The Rokuchoshi Shuzo distillery, located in Nishiki Machi at the heart of the Kuma Shochu basin in Kumamoto Prefecture (Kyushu), holds a geographical indication recognised by the WTO and boasts over a century of history dating back to the Taisho era (20th century). Renowned for its premium rice shochu, crafted from locally grown rice and the underground waters of the Kumagawa River, it upholds a traditional method of distillation at normal pressure, combined with long maturation periods, and was the first to install a Genatsu still. Inspired by the similar climatic conditions of the Scottish Highlands, its president Mr Ikebe adapted the ageing process by equipping the distillery with a temperature- and humidity-controlled space, using exclusively new wooden casks, allowing time and extended maturation to reveal the full complexity of the shochu.
