Earlier this year, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Nakamura Shuzo in Kagoshima. With a majestic view of Sakurajima, Kagoshima’s ever-erupting resident volcano, and farm fields as far as the eyes can see, the distillery stands as a quaint brick building since 1888.
An original placard for Nakamura Distillery
Shinya Nakamura, the 6th generation owner of the distillery, proudly showed me their well where the famed, mineral-rich Kirishima water runs through. The distillery is au naturel, where no mechanical heat sources (air conditioners, heaters, fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, etc.) are used at any time of year – so you are getting true Kagoshima terroir in each sip of Nakamura Shochu!
Shinya-san
As the second son of the shochu brewery, Shinya-san studied at Tokyo University
of Agriculture, brewed sake in Yamagata Prefecture, and learned about sake distribution in Osaka Prefecture before returning to the distillery in 2012. Shinya-san has an infectious passion for shochu. He displays his thumbprint on the label of his shochus to signify that his shochus are handmade, starting with the koji.
Making koji is Shinya-san’s favorite part of shochu-making. He says it is for his
shochu, “The basis of umami, sweetness, depth, and mellowness.” Constantly
tinkering with different kojis for his shochus to bring out different flavors, Nakamura shochus are delightfully balanced, bringing in all the impactful and the nuanced flavors of the sweet potatoes.
During my visit, he shared his koji-making process with me, and delightfully, his newest project which is to mix black, white, yellow koji. He said that his father was vehemently against this idea but with resilience, he was able to release the bottle (yes, I hope to get this stateside someday!).
Scenes from inside the distillery:
I believe this room was the original building and everything else had been added on:
In a tasting with Shinya-san of all of his shochus, I loved Gyokuro Shiro (far left) best.
I had a lot of questions about Shinya-san's koji and koji-making process which he patiently answered for me via email.
KA: Please tell us about your experience working at a sake brewery.
SN: Yes, from 2008 to 2010 I was employed at Tohoku Meijo Co., Ltd. (the flagship brand is Hatsumago) in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture. Hatsumago is a brewery that produces all of its sake using the kimoto method, and is a wonderful brewery that uses the latest equipment but still produces sake in the traditional old style.
How does koji-making differ between sake and shochu industries?
In the world of sake, the emphasis is on koji making, to the extent that it is said that the order of importance of ingredients is: 1. Koji, 2. Moto, 3. Brewing.
It is believed that the quality of the koji affected the quality of the sake, to the extent that if you want to make good sake, you must first make good koji.
In contrast, there are very few breweries that place emphasis on koji-making when making shochu. It goes without saying that we should be particular about the main ingredient, the sweet potato, but I also think it is important to be particular about the koji, which is the most basic ingredient, as this has a major impact on the flavor structure and texture.
What we pay particular attention to for the koji is the rice variety and its oil content. Shochu is characterized by the fact that sugar, acid, umami, and extractive components are not extracted during the distillation process, so only traces of aroma components and oils remain in the liquid. In other words, the only difference between shochu and other spirits is the amount of aroma components and oils (unless barrels are used).
It may be easier to understand if you think of the aromatic components as being produced by the potato, and the oily components as being produced by the rice oil from the rice koji.
The Nakamura label reads Hinohikari Grown Using the Calgen Farming Method*. This premium rice was cultivated by Tsutomu Imamura, who has been growing Hinohikari rice without pesticides for many years in his hometown of Kirishima, utilizing the finest water, soil, and environment. Using this rice produces higher-than-normal amounts of high-quality oils (ethyl oleate, linolenic acid, linoleic acid, etc.), which remain in large amounts in the shochu, resulting in a smooth, mellow flavor.
*From the internet: Calgen farming is a cultivation method in which a fertilizer called "Calgen" whose main ingredient is agricultural gypsum (calcium sulfate), is applied to the soil, improving the soil and supplying calcium to crops at the same time, forming soil aggregates and increasing the number of microorganisms, with the aim of producing healthy, delicious rice and vegetables. The calcium supplied is more soluble and easily absorbed than lime (calcium carbonate), strengthening the cell walls of crops and making them more resistant to pests and diseases, which is said to improve quality (increased sugar content, improved storage, etc.) and also lead to reduced use of pesticides.
We basically use the souhaze method, leaving it to the natural environment and ferment it at a relatively high temperature (because this increases the sweetness).
*Souhaze is a koji growth pattern that thoroughly covers the surface of the rice and goes inside with koji filaments, producing a richer, thicker style of sake. Tsukihaze is a koji growth pattern that results in sparse coverage on the surface of the rice grains but full growth inside for a lighter, elegant style of sake.
Inside the koji room:
Kojibuta, traditional koji-making cedar trays, lined up to the ceiling
Shinya-san talking about his koji-making techniques and philosophies
Making koji mixing white, black, and yellow koji
The dust from the kojified rice
Photo of the koji rice when it first started to innoculate
Thank you Shinya-san for the tour and fascinating conversation about koji for shochu! I learned so much!
A view of the almighty Sakurajima from the distillery.
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