Distillers in Okinawa are trying to reinvent the local firewater
Weaker drinks may make for stronger sales
THE EYES water as your correspondent enters Sakimoto Distillery. Large vats of rice bubble over open flames, filling the air with boozy fumes. The solution will be distilled into awamori, a liquor native to the islands of Okinawa, the most southern and western of Japan’s prefectures. Sakimoto Toshio, the distillery’s boss, pours out a sample of the stuff, which with an alcohol content of 60% is about half as strong again as a typical spirit. Your correspondent’s throat burns as it goes down.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Awamori? Go on then”
From the February 19th 2022 edition
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