Sakimoto Shuzosho (崎元酒造所)
Sakimoto Shuzosho is a distillery on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa that makes awamori, including the 60-degree Hanazaki, Yonaguni and the cloudy Kaiha. Its brewing is small-scale and handmade. It was founded in 1927. KIKI lists one of its bottles.
What kind of distillery is Sakimoto Shuzosho?
In 1927 (Showa 2), seventeen investors whose main work was farming set up a shared distillery on Yonaguni Island. Brewing stayed a side job, and by the 1960s only four investors remained. Fearing that the island's hanazaki culture would be lost along with the distillery, the previous owner stepped forward, and in 1971 (Showa 46) the business became independent as Sakimoto Shuzosho. In April 2006 (Heisei 18) the distillery moved to a site near the summit of Tindahanata. It still uses an old-style jigama pot still and a small team that keeps to traditional handmade methods.
- Water
- Kaiha is brewed with coral water filtered through fossil coral from Yonaguni Island.
- Style
- A 60-degree awamori that is permitted to be made only on Yonaguni Island, called hanazaki. A cloudy awamori made by blending undiluted first-distillation hanazaki with water.
- Other
- Still fully handmade, with awamori distilled in a traditional jigama (earthen-kiln style) still.
Little-known facts about Sakimoto Shuzosho
The name Hanazaki comes from the foam test: the stronger spirit throws the most foam, looking like a flower in full bloom.
sakimotoshuzo.com
Can you visit Sakimoto Shuzosho?
- Tours
Factory visits can be arranged by phone on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:00 (lunch break 12:00 to 13:30). Closed Saturdays, Sundays and local event days.
Hours and booking rules change, so check before you go. Official website
Other brewery tours in Okinawa
Compiled with AI from public pages, mainly the brewery’s own site (not yet checked by the brewery)Sources: sakimotoshuzo.com
Bottles from this distillery
The app finds 6 bottles from this maker by their label (1 on this site).
