Tsutsumi Shuzo Selection

FLAGSHIP PRODUCTS

KU MA SHOCHU - WORLD -RENOW NED PREMIUM SPIRIT

Tsutsumi Shuzo
堤酒造

Experience the ﬂavors of barrel-aging
with this cask-strength shochu

Cold fermentation with ginjo yeast
for a rice shochu with an elegant aroma

Infused with the sweet ﬂavor of
Kumamoto's famous banpeiyu

GOKUJO TSUTSUMIOKUKUMA ZAKURABANPEIYU NO OSAKE

This is a single-cask, cask-strength shochu,
meaning they get only a few hundred bottles
from each cask. This amber-tinted shochu's
rich depth of flavor is accompanied by amellow, savory aroma.

A honkaku shochu made using ginjo
yeast (#9 yeast) and fermented slowly at
low temperatures. Enjoy the rich flavor andelegant aroma you can only get from riceshochu.

A liqueur made from banpeiyu, the jewel ofKumamoto Prefecture and the world's heaviest citrus. Made without using sweeteners,
this drink tastes like a fresh spring breeze.

Ingredients: rice, rice koji, dietary fiber
ABV: 40%Distillation method: vacuum
Aged: 10 years

Ingredients: rice, rice koji
ABV: 25%
Distillation method: vacuum

Tsutsumi Shuzo
THE HISTORY OF
KUMA SHOCHU■ 390-4 Okaharu-minami, Asagiri, Kuma-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture■ Tel: 0966-45-0264■ http://www.tsutsumi-syuzou.com/Kuma Shochu: Born from the History,
Climate & Culture of Hitoyoshi-Kuma

Abundant Water & Unique Climate
The Kuma Valley is located at the southernmost tip of Kumamoto Prefecture,
deep in the mountains of Kyushu. The
cool waters of the Kuma River—famed for
its rapids—nourish the fields, while thevalley's distinctive climate and significant
temperature variations create one of theprefecture's prime rice-growing areas. The
frequent dense fog in the region allows
for fermentation and storage at relatively
low temperatures, which helps give Kuma

WHAT ISKUMA SHOCHU?

Ingredients: honkaku shochu (rice,rice koji), fruit juice, flavoring
ABV: 8%Distillation method: vacuum

Shochu its refreshing aroma. The soft
water from the Kuma River system is ideal
for shochu making and helps enhance
the gentle sweetness of the rice. The richaroma and deep flavor of Kuma Shochu
can only be produced in the HitoyoshiKuma region.

Tradition & Evolution

Rice shochu production in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region is believed to havestarted about 500 years ago. Distillation

techniques were supposedly brought overthrough trade with southeast and continental Asia. Today, 27 distilleries preserve
the traditional techniques honed by theirpredecessors, offering a variety of flavorsthat have evolved over time.
In 1995, Kuma Shochu was designatedas a Geographical Indication by theNational Tax Agency, establishing it as aworld-class shochu brand and attracting
attention from around the globe.

■ Must be made with rice (including rice koji) grown in Japan■ Mash must be made with Hitoyoshi-Kuma water and shochu must be distilled in a pot still and bottled in Hitoyoshi-Kuma.

You must be �� or older to drink. Do not drink and drive.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding may aﬀect the development of the fetus or infant.
Drink in moderation. Please recycle.

Upper left: A grand distillery stands surrounded by theexpansive countryside scenery of the Kuma Valley.
Upper right: Using groundwater drawn up on thepremises, the toji put their all into their work every dayto prevent missing even the smallest changes in firstand second-stage fermentation.
Left: The experience cultivated through the handcrafting
process supports the production of honkaku shochu.
Right: The distillery is equipped with a vacuum still andother modern equipment.

■ TSUTSUMI SHUZO (Asagiri) ■Developing creative shochu for the next
generation without resting on their laurels■ HISTORY

Pushing the limits of Kuma Shochu

The present-day distillery's predecessor, Indo Jozojo, was founded in 1878.
Twenty years ago, Kazuhiro Tsutsumi ofFusanotsuyu, a shochu distillery connectedto the same area of Hitoyoshi, joined management as president and renamed thecompany Tsutsumi Shuzo while leaving thefacilities and toji unchanged. Preserving
the traditions of generations is vital in thisold-fashioned distillery but, more thananything, they are fixated on creating newstyles of Kuma Shochu for the next generation.
The vision is to take full advantage of theregion's resources and utilize the rice, pureair, and the Kuma River's clean water tocreate an authentic shochu that can only bemade here. In order to pass down their traditions and protect their production methods, this distillery makes no compromises

in their quest for new flavors and delicious
shochu. Tsutsumi pursues this goal experimenting to see how storage methods andvessels affect the flavor profile of their shochus. Additionally, Tsutsumi also works todevelop new products through collaborations with university laboratories. Because
Tsutsumi already has everything it needs
to make delicious shochu, they can take amore aggressive stance towards making
innovative shochu.

The factory retains the stonechamber and tools that havebeen in use since Tsutsumi'sfounding. The passion forshochu brewing that's been
passed down through generations of toji has cultivated thecraft and technique that gives
Tsutsumi Shuzo its renownedflavor.

■ ABOUT US

Devoted to developing new products
Tsutsumi’s diverse lineup displays themastery of Tsutsumi's toji. The rice shochu
production process of using black koji,
sherry casks for aging, sake ginjo yeast,and slow, low-temperature fermentation
brings out the unique characteristics ofthe sweet potatoes, barley, buckwheat,and black soybeans they also use to makeshochu.
Beyond shochu, the company is also capitalizing on the know-how it's accumulated
since its founding to step into the worldof liqueurs and even health drinks. Thecompany has already made four brands ofliqueurs that have come into high demandin recent years. Popular products include
Banpeiyu no Osake, which features therefreshing flavor of Kumamoto banpeiyu
citrus, and Kumatomato, which is madefrom tomato pulp and rice shochu. Their
health drinks include Kuro Daizu Shibori,which is made by fermenting whole Japanese black soybeans using a proprietaryproduction process and is currently garnering a lot of attention.
These innovative products are possible
thanks to the indomitable spirit of thetoji who have been unshackled fromrequirements to stick to tradition. Using
this underlying strength, Tsutsumi seeks
to promote the Hitoyoshi-Kuma region asa world-class mecca for distilled spirits.

"We create
products that fill
the needs of ourcustomers," says
vice president
Arifumi Tsutsumi.
The company
challenges itself
to be the first to
develop products
around the hottest
trends in Tokyo.

Aged shochu is stored carefully in the factory. As
time ticks away, the flavor within will only
continue to deepen.