Japanese craftsmanship, revisited!
The spirit of craftsmanship entrusted to Rum.
<Part 1>

This month we introduce Mr Yoshiharu Takeuchi of Nine Leaves, a rum born last year.How did Mr Takeuchi, who used to manufacture auto parts, set up his micro-distillery?The following is the story of his challenge.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

The sake brewing process uses ultra-soft water from a single source, about 500 metres underground, at the end of the tunnels of the Nagaishi Mine in the Otowa Mountains.This famous water is rich in minerals and has a soft taste.

Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, in the Otowa mountain range in the south-west part of Lake Biwa.
The deep underground water that springs from the bedrock of the Nagaishi Mine at the foot of the Iwama Mountains is known as rare and famous water.
The natural water, polished by the natural filter of feldspar, is ultra-soft with a hardness of 12.
Nine Leaves Distillery is a micro-distillery specialising in rum that was established near the source of the water.


The founder and head distiller, Yoshiharu Takeuchi, originally manufactured soundproofing materials and interior parts for cars in Aichi Prefecture.
He is the fourth generation of the company, founded in 1937 and started by his grandfather.
Mr Takeuchi's family played a part in Japanese manufacturing before and after the war and supported Japan's period of rapid economic growth.
In such an environment, Mr Takeuchi has always wanted to "make products that I can see from start to finish and deliver the finished product directly to the consumer".


Having been involved in the manufacturing industry for many years, I want to explore the next form of manufacturing.
What form of manufacturing could fulfil this wish and at the same time make use of their existing skills and knowledge?
The answer was found in sake brewing.

He built a small distillery specialising in rum near the water source, for which he drew up his own blueprints.

'I've always loved visiting bars, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya ....Whenever I went on business trips, I often went to bars in those areas.
Of course, I was a complete novice when it came to sake making, but as I talked to the bartenders and regulars I met there, I gradually gained more knowledge about sake.
And I realised that distilled spirit production seems to be similar to what I have been doing.


Distilled spirit production, in which sugar is fermented to produce alcohol, which is then distilled and concentrated to extract the flavour components, is, so to speak, chemistry.The same can be said of the brewing of alcohol.
Brewing sake is different, as it requires a long experience of the brewer.
The manufacture of automobile parts, which I have been involved in up to now, is also in the world of chemistry.
The materials are heated and cooled in consideration of changes in humidity, temperature and the four seasons.
How can we control the condition settings so that we can fit the components exactly to the dimensions we want?
I thought that this would directly apply to the distillation process, how to get the yeast to act and produce the desired flavour.


In addition, in the field of sake brewing, there are already micro-distilleries that practice the scale of production that I idealise.In addition, there are already micro-distilleries in the field of sake making that are practising my ideal scale of production.
The existence of such makers was also very encouraging.

Founder and distillation manager.The work of just one person can sometimes last up to 30 hours.

'That's why I decided to make liquor, and among other things, rum, a spirit that is drunk all over the world.
I know it's generally whisky, but there are already so many makers and distilleries.
I felt there was more potential in rum, which is a spirit that is drunk all over the world and is not that major in Japan."


It was around this time that he happened to come across the famous Nagaishi Mine water by chance.
It is a very soft water, which is rare in the production of spirits in Japan.
While applying for a brewing licence, he approached the owner of the mine and asked for permission to use it.
There was also a company bottling mineral water from this source, so he sought the understanding of related companies and farmers in the area, and also conducted educational activities on Western wine production.
'Both the city hall and the tax office were like, "Rum?Western liquor?'That was the situation.
I spent a lot of time trying to get people to understand that the production of alcohol is not harmful to the soil or water sources.
I think I spent about 10 months."


To increase my knowledge of distilling, I went on a tour of distilleries and got local information from a bartender who had travelled to producing countries in Central and South America.
When he had gained some knowledge, he was allowed to train at the Chichibu distillery, known for its Ichiro's Malt.

Scottish Forsyths distiller, taught at the Chichibu distillery.

'When I visited the distillery with a bartender I know, I asked President Hido, "Please let me have a technical assistance relationship with you!"' (laughs).
Mr Hido also set up a micro-distillery with his own assets and is pursuing his own style of craftsmanship.I felt sympathy for him.
He readily agreed, saying 'You don't have to pay me, you can look around as you like', and I was shown everything except the yeast.


President Hido was surprised at the extremely short training period of just three days, but in the world of the automobile industry, this is a normal period of time.President Hido was surprised at the extremely short training period of only three days, but in the automotive industry, this length of time is the norm.
The company says that if they don't get a feel for the factory within a day or three days at the most, they will be useless on site.


We can't just go to President Hido with a blank sheet of paper," he says.
I went to the training from the standpoint that I would be able to confirm the knowledge and information I had gathered, and to use the arrangements in practice as a reference.
I learnt a lot from the training, but one of the benefits was learning about Forsyths's distillation equipment.

Nine Leaves Clear is born from the encounter between ultra-soft water polished by feldspar, brown sugar from Tarama Island and selected domestic yeast.

Forsyths, a prestigious Scottish distiller.
We tried looking for one in Japan, but although used stainless steel ones used by shochu distillers were available, we couldn't find the copper one we were looking for.
President Hido also said that Western liquor is copper, and we wanted to stick to copper here.
In the end, they decided to order a single distiller from Scotland.


The first distillation kettle was inspired by the one at the Chichibu distillery, and the redistillation kettle was based on the shape of a still from Glenmorangie, after consulting with the Forsyths staff.
I was surprised that it took only six months after we ordered it.
Even though we were still discussing the drawings for the distiller, I was told that it would be ready soon, and I went to check the site in a great hurry (laughs).


Around the same time, in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, where the local people had come to understand the situationAround the same time, in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, a distillery was being built near the water source.
A small distillery, built just for making rum, which he drew up himself for ease of use.


The water source has been secured and the distillery built, and the distiller is finally nearing completion. ....
Nine Leaves finally gets underway.


Continued in Part 2.