The history of Takara Shuzo began in 1842, in the late Edo period. Since then, the company has continued to produce and distribute a wide range of traditional Japanese beverages and seasonings, from sake, shōchū and chuhai to hon mirin and other culinary products, always with a focus on safety, reliability and meeting consumer needs.
Many of Takara’s shōchū are crafted at the Kurokabegura Distillery in Takanabe, Miyazaki Prefecture, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Osuzu Mountains to the north and the Hyūga Sea to the east. Here, dedicated artisans approach shōchū-making with sincerity and precision, paying meticulous attention to every stage of the process, from fermentation and distillation to long-term storage. In recent years, Takara Shuzo has also expanded into whisky production, blending its deep respect for tradition with a commitment to developing new techniques. It remains a distillery that continues to evolve whilst honouring its heritage.
For the team, the greatest joy comes from hearing customers say their products are delicious. To bring smiles to people’s faces through their beverages is the highest reward in their craft. They will continue striving to share the quality and character of Takara Shuzo’s creations with even more people around the world.
The flagship shōchū is made entirely from sweet potatoes, using a unique production method in which sweet potatoes are used for both the base ingredient and the koji, instead of rice. Traditionally, rice is used for koji in most sweet potato shōchū, but the distillers’ pure curiosity, “What would happen if we made the koji from sweet potatoes too?”, inspired six years of experimentation. The result is a refined, aromatic shōchū that highlights the natural floral fragrance of sweet potatoes, with a clean, elegant taste free from impurities. It represents a new style of shōchū that overturns convention: fragrant, polished and unmistakably original.
