Japanese craftsmanship, revisited!
The spirit of craftsmanship entrusted to rum.
<Part 2>

The Japanese rum 'Nine Leaves' project is finally underway.Aiming to create a new rum with a taste that can only be expressed in Japan, by Japanese people.Founder and distiller Yoshiharu Takeuchi's one-man challenge continues.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Nine Leaves Gold will finally be launched this spring.Mr Takeuchi's trial and error continues...

Construction has begun on the Nine Leaves distillery in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.
While the hardware was being finalised, the software was also steadily taking shape.
First, the raw materials.
Most rums use molasses or squeezed sugarcane juice, but squeezed sugarcane juice is rarely available unless the company is based in Okinawa.
This is because sugarcane in Okinawa is bought in bulk by major sugar trading companies.


This is where the idea of brown sugar came from.
As sugar cane needs to be managed for freshness from the moment it is cut, the agricole process can only be carried out near the sugar cane growing area.
However, this problem can be solved if brown sugar is used.


There are seven sugar mills in Okinawa, all of which have their own unique characteristics, but after tasting the brown sugar from Tarama Island, we decided to use brown sugar from Tarama.
I was struck by the clean, clear sweetness without any unpleasant taste, and above all by the greenish nuances typical of sugar cane.
We thought we could express that 'green aroma', which is unique to agricole rum, in a good balance.

The Midwinter Mojito, ¥1,500, was created by Seki of Ikebukuro's "itten bar". "I went easy on the mint so as not to kill the flavour of the Nine Leaves.I used lemongrass, lemon balm, peppermint and three other herbs," says Seki.

'Certainly this process may not be traditional.
But in Japan, where only single distillers are available, it is impossible to produce a rum like Bacardi.
That's why we wanted to make Nine Leaves in line with malt whisky standards.


Brown sugar tastes different every year depending on the quality of the sugarcane.
This means that the flavour of rum also changes.
If you think about it in terms of the raison d'être of micro-distilleries, these differences in flavour are what makes them 'unique'.
How we can express our own flavour within that individuality is what makes brewing interesting.


This is how the first Nine Leaves was born.
The first Nine Leaves was born in March 2013.
We will see the whole process through from start to finish.
We make rum with integrity and honesty, without hiding anything.
With this in mind, we dared to name our first Nine Leaves White Rum 'Clear Rum'.


The name 'Clear' contains Mr Takeuchi's vision and thoughts.
According to him, Clear represents "the freshness of the water from the feldspar mine, the transparent beauty of the feldspar glaze (feldspar is used as a glaze for pottery), and the straightforward passion for making ram, with no falsehoods in materials or processes".

"itten bar" where you can enjoy original cocktails made with Nine Leaves, and where you are welcomed by stately antique furniture, rare first editions and framed live manuscripts of Shuji Terayama.(8F, 1-17-13 Minami Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 03-3981-0018)

These beliefs have been understood, and the number of people who understand Takeuchi and Nine Leaves is gradually increasing.
One such personOne such person is Akira Seki of the Ikebukuro bar 'itten bar'.
When Mr Takeuchi went to a bar in Ginza with samples, Mr Seki happened to be there as a customer.
Mr Takeuchi remembers Mr Seki's tasting advice as a great help to him.Mr Takeuchi remembers Mr Seki's tasting advice as a great help to him.


I still remember that Seki-san said one thing to me: 'It's good.
I still remember himI still remember that Seki-san said one thing to me: 'It's good.


It was a controversial sample, but as you say, it is indeed sharp.
When I asked them to make a sharp cocktail, it was too sharp and not enough.When I asked them to make a sharp cocktail, it was too sharp and not enough.
Based on Seki-san's advice, I adjusted the cutting and got just the right aftertaste.
I alwaysI always appreciate the advice and requests from the bartenders who handle Nine Leaves, as I want to create a taste that the bartenders, who are in contact withcustomers night after night, can enjoy recommending."


Almost a year has passed since its official release.This year's second release, after Clear, will be Gold in April.It was brewed for six months in two types of barrels, American and French oak, and sampling is currently underway, but the brewery is currently struggling with how to blend the two, as each has a different character: 'American for its flamboyance and French for its richness'.Of course, they are also trying their hand at dark rum.Until the day when he presents it in a few years' time, he would like to explore a different form of craftsmanship that he can enjoy again.

Nine Sonic, ¥1,100, a perfect match of Tokushima-grown aromatic sudachi and Nine Leaves, also an "itten bar!" original.

Mr Takeuchi has been involved in the manufacturing industry for many years, and has finally arrived at his ideal product: the ram.
What exactly is the ideal form of craftsmanship that Mr Takeuchi currently envisions?


The ideal is what I learned from my predecessors: 'The things that don't say things are the things that say things'.
Things speak for themselves.
Nine Leaves speaks to me about what I think and what beliefs I have when making things.
It would be a great honour for me if I could carry on with that kind of craftsmanship.


Now that I'm able to make the lamb I've always wanted, every day is really fun.
It's what I call 'rearing' (laughs).
I am happy with analogue manufacturing, where one's own actions determine the finished product, rather than manufacturing, where something is made in a big, invisible box with big equipment.


I also get advice and feedback directly from bartenders and people who have drunk the finished product.
I feel that I am working for the sake of hearing the words 'it tastes good'.
Nine Leaves is now my little girl in a box.
I work daily on distillation and pop into bars to show off my precious daughter to as many people as possible."