Japan's first eau-de-vie to be born.
The mitosaya distillery finally gets underway!
<Part 2>

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

The botanical garden is full of botanicals that could be used for eau-de-vie.Photos by Yasuo Yamaguchi

In addition to the distillery, the mitosaya medicinal herb garden distillery has two greenhouses, a shed self-built by Mr Eguchi, an orchard of plums and apricots, and an edible farm scattered over a vast site of 5,000 tsubo.


Ruta, a member of the tangerine family, also known as Romano Levi's grappa.
Angelica, a medicinal herb, and the fragrant Seri ...... .
There are some rare western herbs, but also familiar Japanese trees, such as the black maple and Nikkei.


The area formerly planted with toxic plants has been transformed into an 'Absinthe Field', where bronze fennel, Worm wood, Aesop and anise are grown.

Greenhouse to be used as a tasting room.

Some of these plants are fruit trees planted by supporters as part of the 'Plant to Distill' crowdfunding support course that was organised in preparation for the opening of the park.


How much of these plants can be used for eau-de-vie is still unknown.
However, he says that he gets inspiration from the various plants he visits in the garden.


He says: "At first, I was not a little tempted to do it in Germany," but I thought that an eau-de-vie using Japanese ingredients with connections to producers in various parts of Japan would have more potential.


The botanicals from the botanical garden will add an accent to Eguchi's eau-de-vie.

Top left: old perfume bottle.Top right: the Vinoloc glass stopper, the key component of the bottle.Bottom left: an idea note waiting for the logo.Bottom right: a mock-up that he has cut himself.

Now, recently, he has been obsessed with designing mitosaya's original bottles.
The glass stopper called Vinoloc, produced by a Czech glass manufacturer, inspired him to think about the inner shape of the bottle.


Spirits bottles are based on pill bottles, but I make brandy.
I wanted something a bit more colourful than a medicine bottle, so I decided to collaborate with a manufacturer on a bottle for spirits.

The idea was based on perfume bottles.
I had a number of old perfume bottles on hand and made a mock-up.


It has a colourful form and the inside diameter is designed to work with both vinolocks, corks and screw caps.


'We don't have a strong concept or proper branding, so you don't know what the brandy or the bottle is until you open the lid [laughs].


(Laughs) The same goes for the design of the labels, we are still groping around.
Since it's the beginning, I'm trying to formulate what I think is good first, and I'm enjoying the trial and error of this and that.

'Absinthe Field' planted with Worm wood.

'I'm interested in stories related to fermentation, so I often read books by Takeo Koizumi.


I sympathise with the way he shines a light on things that are wasted or thrown away and adds new value to them, such as using the malt after fermentation to make malt vinegar.
In distillation, too, I guess I find it interesting to see what can be made from what is distilled.


Eguchi-san talks about his own sake brewing in this way.


The mitosaya herb garden distillery was originally a project born out of Eguchi's theme of 'having fun in old age'.
He learnt beekeeping from a beekeeper and built a self-built hut by burning cedar boards himself.


The process of trial and error by hand eventually takes root as a way of life, and if it eventually becomes a small business, .......
So our aim is not to be in the business of making and selling as much as we can, but rather to be a distillery that is in line with the size of our business.

He also started beekeeping, learning under a skilled beekeeper.

'Thanks in part to Christophe, we've received enquiries from abroad at an early stage.
Some are interested in using Japanese botanicals.
We can do our best because there are people, including crowdfunding supporters, who are looking forward to it.


I think 'mitosaya' includes the existence of this botanical garden, so I want to open it to the public at the earliest possible opportunity and hope that many people will come to visit.
I want people to experience what this facility, this nature and this environment can produce.


The independent craftsmen who make things freely and open-mindedly, and the plants that grow here and the landscapes they depict, create eaux-de-vie with different flavours and aromas.Eau-de-Vie has a different taste and aroma.


Now we can't wait for its first batch.
Not only because of the taste itself, but also because creative small businesses are full of exciting possibilities.