One-stop shop from sugarcane to rum!
Agrikor rum production in Minami Boso.
<Part 2>

The Boso Oikura Distillery started its first distillation in August 2022.On the company's own farm, which utilises abandoned land, the sugarcane harvesting of the raw material for the project's centrepiece, agricole rum, was nearing completion.

writer：Ryoko kuraishi　撮影：Midori Yamashita

Sugar content is measured and when the sugar content exceeds 18, it is time to harvest.All harvesting is done by hand.

The Boso Oikura Distillery grows sugar cane in the immediate vicinity of the distillery and produces its flagship agri-col rum by fermenting the freshly pressed juice directly.

Producing agricole, which accounts for only 10% of the rum produced in the world, in the immediate suburbs of the Tokyo metropolitan area?

The Boso Oikura Distillery, which is pursuing such a dream project, is also doing well in sugarcane cultivation, which was started prior to the rum production.

The time of the interview was just before the sugar cane was harvested.

In the 2 hectares of fields scattered around the distillery, which is a 10-minute drive from the distillery, the sugar cane had grown to over 3 metres and was swaying.

The difference in temperatures makes the sweetness of sugarcane more concentrated.

Even though the area has been chosen to be frost-free, the temperatures vary widely.

Sugarcane in Minami Boso?This may sound strange, but the difference in temperature is said to be effective.

After November, the sugar and mineral content of the sugar cane increases dramatically.

The cane is harvested by hand, defoliated in the fields and trucked to the distillery to be pressed into sugar cane juice, where the challenge of making agri-colours finally begins.

Our rum production is a one-stop shop, from the fields to the rum, so it's like a winery," he says.

Most cane fields are used for sugar production, but our cane fields are dedicated to rum, so we can harvest at the optimum time from a rum-making point of view.

Also, because we are making agricole rum, we grow it organically to make the most of the terroir of the land, such as the natural environment and soil."

Distillery facility with a unique combination of rum x tasteful old house.

When sugar cane is left unharvested, the entire cane is fermented.
Lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and alcohol appear in the sugarcane, and one of its strengths is that it can be used to make moromi.

In the sugar cane fields, they grow domestic varieties of sugarcane, but they have discovered wild sugarcane growing wild in Minami Boso, and they would like to try producing rum using it.


Meanwhile, at the distillery, which is located on a 700 tsubo site, an additional distillery building has just been completed.Located in the distillery building are two distillation machines.

The one used to produce spirits from the mash is a hybrid copper distiller from Cotovkitex, which can switch between single and continuous distillation.

The other is an original distiller, which is a modified rotary kettle with a distillation column designed for rum.

The feature is that the heat can be adjusted freely; they use this for distillation during the second finishing stage.

Original distiller.The glass part was made by a local glass artist.

Ask local restaurants to become rum concierges.

In addition to the distillery building, further facilities are planned to be created using Kurafan.

The tenement gate, warehouse and main house on the site will be transformed into a maturing cellar and a communication space for tastings, respectively.

The Rum Concierge Association of Japan is planning to hold a rum concierge qualification course on the premises, with the cooperation of the Japan Rum Association, for people involved in the local tourism industry and restaurants.

We are also planning a plan to have restaurant staff become rum concierges and serve welcome drinks made from Minami Boso lamb at accommodation facilities. ......

'We receive more enquiries from pastry chefs and other confectioners than we had imagined, so we are thinking of collaborating with local confectioners.

We also want to actively propose pairings of rum with local seafood, so we are looking for chefs with an interest in fishing, agriculture and brewing to join us at our restaurant!'

Prologue, the first white rum from the Boso Oikura Distillery, is scheduled for release in February next year (first as a Kurafan return, general release to follow in due course).

The day when BOSO rum from Boso will dominate bars in Japan does not seem far off.