Since the 16th century, the people of Kyushu have been drinking koji whisky, a spirit distilled using barley local to Kyushu Island. Kyushu Spirits have used koji to begin their grain fermentation. It gives the final product its rich aroma and a unique flavour. The company aims to use authentic recipes and respect the traditional fermentation methods used to ensure their products are a true representation of genuine Japanese whisky.
Kyushu’s Asakura Premium Koji Whisky is produced using the celebrated techniques and formulas of world-renowned biochemist, Takamine Jokichi. Celebrated for being the first to isolate a hormone from natural sources (adrenaline), Takamine left government services to establish his own fertiliser business. It was then that he developed his own starch-ingesting enzyme, a fungus grown on rice. Eventually, he travelled to the United States to use this enzyme in the distilling industry. Asakura Premium is a wheat-based whisky that ferments in white oak barrels for five years to obtain a rich, harmonious flavour and powerful aroma. Created at a single distillery, the whisky matures in sherry casks to develop its smooth taste and texture.
Distilled from 100% local Japanese barley, the whisky is a shade of deep, rich gold which reflects the fields of their origin. Dignified and complex, its notes of honey, vanilla and coconut are accentuated by the subtle citrus and cinnamon on the palate. As Kyushu Spirits says, “to drink Asakura is to indulge in the spirit of Southern Japan.”
