FL/SC Spirits of Japan Portfolio Book

BOUNTIFUL RICE HARVEST

TAKAMINE Shinozaki Distillery | Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture Jokichi Takamine, a Japanese scientist at the turn of the 20th century, managed to create a whisky without malt by using the already centuries-old method of saccharifying grain with koji. While this innovation didn’t make it outside of his scientific work, Shinozaki Distillery is using this technique now in production of Takamine Whiskey. Takamine Koji Whiskey is made with the Takamine Process, using ancient Japanese koji mold to convert starches to fermentable sugars in a process similar to malting barley. Unlike malt whiskey where sugars are extracted in a warm water mash before yeast is introduced to start the fermentation, both the koji and yeast are active at the same time in a multiple parallel fermentation.

What is koji? Koji (aspergillus oryzae) is a mold that grows on grains, breaking the starches into sugars which yeast can then convert into alcohol through fermentation. Koji has been used in Japan for more than 1,200 years to make sake as well as soy sauce, miso, shochu, and other familiar umami-laden Japanese specialties. In fact, koji is the national mold of Japan.

The First Japanese Whiskey Distillery Made... Bourbon? click to find out the answer