Pouring the Past, Weaving the Future: A special shochu Embodying 100 Years of History

Things that don't change. Things that change.
Discover the spirit Kirishima Shuzo has poured into its anniversary bottle.

At each milestone year, Kirishima Shuzo has brought together the skills and passion that have been passed down through the generations to create special Shochu that embodies its history.
These are the anniversary bottles, starting with "Kichisuke" which was produced to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the company's founding. Kirishima Shuzo has released anniversary bottles seven times to date, most recently in 2016,they released "Hyakururi" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company's founding.
"It took about four years from development to release. We wanted "Hyakururi" to be a product worthy of being the culmination of 100 years of Shochu making since the Taisho era, so the entire company put their efforts into creating it."
These were the words of Hisato Taura, who was involved in planning and development in the planning department at the time
How was this anniversary bottle, which is distinctively different from those of the regular Kirishima Shuzo Shochu, created?

The development of the anniversary bottle begins with discussions mainly centered around the planning department and the research development department.
What is the theme that embodies the 100th anniversary of Kirishima Shuzo 's founding?
The keywords chosen were "history, tradition, challenge, and leap forward," These were summed up to create the theme "continuity and change."
The concept of "continuity and change" means to treasure the timeless essence while continually embracing new changes.
"It's important for people to feel the long history of 100 years, but just as importantly, we want to create a product that gives a sense of progress toward the future. That's why we chose this theme."

How to express the concept of "continuity and change" in "Hyakururi"? The first element that came up was that it was sweet potato honkaku shochu.
This passion is at the core of Kirishima Shuzo.
In addition, the idea of releasing two sets, one red and one white, was raised as a special milestone year for the 100th anniversary. This would express the two timely themes of "history and tradition" and "challenge and leap forward," which encompasses the past and the future.​​​​Each was named "Shiroruri" (White Lapis Lazuli) and "Akaruri" (Red Lapis Lazuli), respectively. “Shiro Kirishima” and “Aka Kirishima” were chosen as the base shochu for each of the red and white varieties. However, they were not chosen solely for their colors.
"’Shiro Kirishima’ is the successor to ‘Kirishima,’ the origin of Kirishima Shuzo, and truly embodies 100 years of history and tradition. ‘Aka Kirishima’ is shochu made from Murasaki Masari, which was revolutionary when it was released. I thought it was fitting that it was a symbol of challenge and a leap forward."
Each Shochu is made using Kirishima Shuzo’s unique distillation method, with a high concentration of 40 degrees, giving it a rich flavor. And thanks to the hands of a blender who determines the quality of the liquor, "Shiroruri" has a clean, clear taste with a rich, lingering aftertaste, while "Akaruri" has a fresh, fruity aroma and a strong, rich flavor.

Passionate attention to detail in the anniversary bottle doesn't just lie in its contents.
"The most time-consuming and difficult part was probably developing the materials, especially the bottles."
Taura recalls.
The bottle design is based on the shape of a gourd, which has been used since ancient times as a container for sake and is considered to bring good luck, and inspired by the traditional Sasanian glass "circular cut glass bowl," which is also one of the treasures of the Shosoin Repository.
There are 98 circular cuts, a characteristic of circular cut glass bowls. Including the two at the mouth and bottom of the bottle, it is made up of a total of 100 circles.
"The circle represents the 'ring' that connects relationships, the 'harmony' between people, and the 'cycle' that connects people and local culture."
It expresses the various things that have been cultivated over the past 100 years.

To realize this one-of-a-kind bottle design, it was necessary to specially order it from an overseas bottle manufacturer, as it would be difficult to do so domestically.
In order to have the ideal bottle manufactured with passionate commitment to detail, exquisite nuances such as color, and guaranteed quality and safety, he traveled overseas on numerous occasions and worked hard to communicate through an interpreter.
"We made countless prototypes. Sometimes the people at the manufacturer would give up halfway through, which meant that we had to start all over again. It was really difficult being in an unfamiliar environment," says Taura with a slightly wry smile.
However, it was precisely because of these hardships that he gained a great deal.
"At the time, I was still young and inexperienced, so I learned a lot from the passion for manufacturing of my seniors who were leading the project. Rather than leaving it up to the people on site, we needed to make time in our busy schedule to visit them many times and repeat trial and error until we were satisfied. If we were not impressed, the end customers will not be impressed. This attitude is deeply engraved in my heart as the spirit of Kirishima Shuzo, whose company slogan is 'spurring passion from quality.'"

"Hyakururi" is the culmination of 100 years of work, an embodiment of numerous passion.
Customers who have purchased the bottle were not only pleased with the taste.　Some have kept it on display as a good luck item, and others felt that it is too precious to drink so they store it unopened.
Anniversary bottles are generally limited editions with a set sales period and number of bottles, but the 95th anniversary bottle, "Gyoku Kin Kirishima," has been revamped from the original version and is now a product that is available for regular shipment.
"The release of the anniversary bottle is a special opportunity to show our appreciation to our customers, so we try things that are out of the ordinary. However, these challenges become the seeds of new product development and weave the history of Kirishima Shuzo. In this way, we hope to move forward one step at a time to a new future."

The skills and passion condensed at the milestone of the 100th company anniversary became the foundation for the next step. Kirishima Shuzo will celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2026, and is already preparing to spin a new story. This new drop of liquor will surely be a memorable one that reflects the times.