Miyake Island is an island located approximately 180 kilometers south of Tokyo and administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The entire island was evacuated following the eruption of Mt. Oyama on July 14, 2000, but residents were finally permitted to return beginning in February of 2005.

 

Shochu production at the Miyake Island Shochu Distillery was restarted as part of the recovery efforts on the island. However, the yeast they used was a new strain brought in from the mainland. Shochu is a distilled alcohol distinct from sake, with a lower alcohol content than whiskey or vodka but still higher than beer or wine.

 

At Tokyo College of Biotechnology, a 3-year graduation project was started in 2009 to collect and separate yeast samples from old shochu warehouses. Shochu was then produced from the separated samples.

 

The students first analyzed the isolated yeast and were able to separate 3 strains which they believed would be suitable for distillation. They then actually made small batches and distilled the shochu. They analyzed these batches and conducted sensory evaluations, which suggested that the 3 strains would be suitable for distilling shochu.

 

Based on these results, the Miyake Island Shochu Distillery began distilling shochu in earnest in 2012. After allowing the shochu to ferment for 5 years, it was put on sale as a product this year, the tenth anniversary of the return of residents to the island.

 

The current batch is limited to 2005 bottles. If you are interested, please contact the Tokyo College of Biotechnology.