Osuzuyama Distillery

Production places

Connections to water sources, peat places, maltings, cooperages, warehouses and maturation sites. Uncertain connections are labelled.

No documented production places are linked to this distillery yet.

Osuzuyama Distillery opened in 1998 as a subsidiary of Kuroki Honten.
Located near Osuzu Mountain in Miyazaki, surrounded by a dense forest and numerous waterfalls, where the water is drawn close to its source and used in preparation and throughout the distillation process.
The name Osuzuyama is connected to the legend of the sacred white horse, which, according to legend, led the deity’s visit to the area.
At the foot of Osuzu Mountain lies the village of Atarashiki-mura (New Village), founded in 1918 by Saneatsu Mushanokoji and his companions as a utopian community.

The water is drawn close to the source, from the upper stream, and used in preparation and throughout the distillation process.
Obi-sugi, a type of cedar from Miyazaki, is used in koji cells and in the deep casks used for moromi mash, creating an ideal environment for microorganisms.
All ingredients are sourced locally from the Kyushu region, including from their own farm, Yomigaeru Daichi no Kai.
A handcrafted approach: The masters spread koji in the cellars and ferment at the most suitable temperatures; while they use modern technology to support the process, they strive for handcrafted flavor and quality.
Distillation: Heating the moromi to generate steam and then cooling to extract the liquid; distillation concentrates the alcohol and preserves the rich flavor nuances.
In the landscape around Osuzu Mountain, the goal is to create distilled liquors unique to this land, and to explore new types of spirits such as aged whisky and botanical aromas.

Craft is central: processes such as koji handling and malting are performed by masters, with the aid of modern technology to support.
Distillation and nature: The process is presented as both mystical and scientific, where human effort and the forces of nature come together.
Legends and the nation’s spirit: The sacred horse and the Osuzu Mountain legends contribute to an identity in which the art of distillation and the country’s nature are closely intertwined.
New Village and new types of distilled liquor: Their goal is to create distilled liquor unique to this country and to embrace aged whisky and spirits with botanical aromas as new types of distilled liquor.