Hello everyone♪

I mentioned that I went to Yakusima in my last post  “A Rookie Snack Mama-san, Nana vol.7~” so this time I’m going to write about my trip with two friends from high school during the holiday. The reason we chose Yakushima as our destination was because we were in the middle of our unlucky year(Yaku-Doshi) and had been feeling unwell. So we thought we should make it a training trip, with some sort of exorcism in mind! While considering hiking, mountain climbing, etc., we thought that by completing the 10-hour hike to Jomon Cedar in Yakushima, we could ward off bad luck!

I was happy to be able to complete the walk and be able to worship Jomon Cedar safely, but even more than that? I felt great to come across some delicious sake from Yakushima♪ I think that at least some of the people who visit this post like to drink, so I’d like to introduce the sake I came across😊

This is a Wilson stump. I was able to take a beautiful heart photo💚

Visit Yakushima’s traditional brewery, Honbo Sake Brewery!

The first place we went to after arriving on Yakushima was Honbo Shuzo. We participated in a free sake brewery tour! Unfortunately, part of the roof of the brewery was damaged by a typhoon, so they were unable to make Koji and Shochu production was suspended on the day of the tour. However, when we entered the brewery, the strong smell of potato shochu was in the air and I was excited. We were shown not only the jars but also the large distillation and storage machines, and the production process was explained to us in great detail!

Originally, this is where the base for Shochu, made by mixing Koji, yeast, and water, was placed!

数々のタイトル受賞の「MARS The YA」

“MARS The YA” has won numerous awards

And here at Honbo Shuzo, whiskey is also aged. With the recent boom in Japanese whiskey, “MARS The YA” is apparently popular. This product won the Blended Malt Category: Best Japanese Blended Malt (Japan’s highest award) at the WWA (World Whisky Awards) 2024. My memory is a bit hazy, but the staff told me that they were so excited that they were running out of stock to meet customer demand, as they had only just started production a few years ago and had received the award!

After hearing that story, I bought two!

There’s something about whiskey barrels that really appeals to me. I took lots of photos!

After the tour you can enjoy a tasting.

The tour ended in about 20 minutes, and we were able to taste from there. There were Yakushima-exclusive products, so we tasted from end to end! There were also Kagoshima tankan(fruit) liquor and passion fruit wine, which are easy for anyone who doesn’t drink so often. Among them, the Yakushima-exclusive “Mizunomori” has a very soft aroma and a sweet taste. We each bought a bottle♪ The other product we bought was “Yakusugi,” which is aged in a barrel made from Yakusugi cedar. This is a potato shochu, but it is aged in a barrel like whiskey, and the barrel is made from Yakushima’s Yakusugi cedar, which is a new development. The taste was a little smoky and astringent, a mature taste. I’m not a critic, so let me add “I don’t know” at the end.

I had bought four bottles! It was a very satisfying experience to be able to tour the shop and taste the wines.

Which one should I have for tonight’s drink? See you next time!!!