Barley malt x Japanese botanicals!
Domestic Spirits TUMUGI.
<Part 2>

Sanwa Shurui, the leader in authentic barley shochu, has a stronger passion for koji than anyone else, and towards 2020 the brewers will use TUMUGI as a foothold to transmit koji culture to the rest of the world.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Sanwa Shurui near Usa Jingu Shrine.Visit Usa Shrine before touring the distillery.

Sanwa Shuyu, known for its authentic barley shochu iichiko, celebrates 60 years in business this year.
In addition to its head office and factory in Usa, the company currently has a factory in Hita and an Ajimu Budoshu Winery.
The area where the head office is located is blessed with clear, soft water, which is why the company moved to this area 34 years ago.


The sales pitch for Sanwa Shuzui's authentic barley shochu, the original TUMUGI, is
1. The quality of the ingredients
2. The quality of the processing
3. The sincerity of the brewer
.


'The raw material for the original shochu is two-row barley.
It is the same material used to make beer and whisky, and we only buy barley that is suitable for brewing from growers who have been growing barley exclusively for more than 100 years.
Of course, we change the barley we use depending on the type of original liquor" (Yoshiya Fujita, in charge of shochu production).

This is barley malt, the lifeblood of TUMUGI.

Uniformly shaving the surface of the barley is a surprisingly difficult process, which is ordered from a processing plant in Japan.
By grinding the barley while maintaining its original shape, it is possible to cleanly remove any impurities.
The polished barley is soaked in water, and when it has absorbed enough water, it is steamed.


The steamed barley is then coated with malted barley to make barley koji, and the craftsman's intuition and experience come into play in many processes, such as 'bedding' and 'care'.
The quality of this barley koji determines the taste of the original sake.


The first stage of brewing is to add barley malt, groundwater and yeast developed in-house, and this is where the sake mother is grown.
Fermentation for five days produces the sake mother.


In the second brewing, the yeast grown in the first brewing, brewing water and steamed barley are added and further fermentation takes place.
The fermentation of the yeast and the saccharification of the koji are balanced (parallel double fermentation) to give the sake the taste we are looking for.
This is a traditional Japanese technique of fermentation that is unique in the world."

In a yuzu field in Shikoku.They walked all the way up the mountain in search of the yuzu that would deliver the flavour they were looking for.

When the second fermentation is distilled in a pot still, authentic barley shochu is completed.
Sanwa Shuzui uses two distillation methods: atmospheric distillation for a deep, distinctive flavour, and vacuum distillation to bring out the aroma, to achieve both aroma and flavour.


Iichiko is often associated with mass production in automated factories, but in fact it is a traditional shochu where many processes are carried out by craftsmen.
So we can change the brewing and distilling methods each time, depending on the concept of the original syochu liqueur."


All of the original syochu liqueurs have one thing in common: they "give an honest impression of the quality of the barley and malted barley."The common denominator of all our sake is that we can "give a straightforward impression of the goodness of barley and koji.
We asked Masahiko Shimoda, Vice President of Sanwa Shuzui, a doctor of engineering, about his thoughts on koji once again.


' TUMUGI contains our determination to master Japanese spirits.
'By developing a Japanese spirit, we decided to think about what a new authentic barley shochu could be.'

NEW OAK CASK STORAGE" is laid down in new white oak barrels.

Ten years ago, with an eye on the diversifying market, Sanwa Shuzu embarked on the development of domestically produced spirits.
At that time, we released a Kyushu-only spirit under the name 'Natural Flavour', but when we realised that so-called fleabad shochu did not convey the individuality and character of the essential koji, we decided to change our approach.


Five years ago, we decided to steer the company towards botanical spirits, which fully emphasise the interest of koji, and to start development from scratch once again.
That is the current TUMUGI.


Three years ago, we broadened our horizons even further and launched the 'Koji Project' to pursue distilled spirits with a koji culture.
The Iichiko brand has also released premium shochu such as Hita Zen Koji, which is made entirely from barley koji, and Sorayama Dokushin, which is made from koji only.


Koji is the foundation of Japanese food culture.
That's why we, the producers, have to speak up and spread the culture.
That is our 'Koji Project', and TUMUGI is our tool for spreading the 'Koji Project' to the world of Western-style alcohol.>

“KOJI SOUR” to try at the bar.This is where koji culture is introduced to the world.

With TUMUGI, the brewers of Sanwa Shuzui got a glimpse into the world of Western liquor through a completely new filter: the bar.
Unlike shochu, TUMUGI leaves room for the ideas and ingenuity of individual bartenders.
We hope that bartenders will become navigators of koji culture from the bar scene to the rest of the world, using TUMUGI as a gateway.


As part of this, we are planning to promote a cocktail that combines citrus fruits and TUMUGI under the name 'KOJI SOUR'.
Firstly, we will make it known to bartenders all over the country, and gradually expand the range of our products, so that by 2020 they will be available overseas as made-in-Japan spirits. ......"