Fukano Shuzo 深野酒造 – Fukano Rice Whisky

Last Updated 10/23/2020

Fukano Whisky is produced at Fukano Shuzo– a small shochu distillery that resides within the fertile rice-growing Hitoyoshi Basin (人吉盆地) of Kumamoto. This prefecture on Kyushu island is famous for its rice shochu produced in the Kuma River Valley. Fukano is one of many distilleries making this rice shochu called Kuma-jochu (熊焼酎). Fukano’s distillery houses a number of large clay pots, which they use for aging some of their shochu. Oak barrels (ex-Sherry, Bourbon, etc.) are used to age this rice spirit into Japanese koji whisky.

The Kuma River (球磨川) and the encircling mountains provide the local distilleries, including Fukano, with pure subterranean water which is ideal for growing, brewing, and distilling rice.

five bottles of Japanese whisky in a wooden room — A Selection of Some of Fukano’s Earlier Whisky Releases

Fukano Japanese Koji Whisky

Fukano Whisky is a relatively new thing for the company– having only recently jumped into the red-hot Japanese whisky category. Using oak barrel aging on undiluted (genshu) honkaku (one distilled) rice shochu– they’re producing something like a shochu/whisky hybrid. Interestingly, the more time the shochu spends aging in oak– the more it begins to taste like whisky. This despite using koji rice instead of malted barley– or any barley at all. Of course, legally there is a limit to how much color a shochu can have. This relic of UK/Japanese protectionism has made it so that the dark, oak-aged shochu must be labeled as whisky. All that nonsense aside– Fukano Whisky tastes and looks like whisky. A Fukano Whisky 10 Year scored 1st in the Top 100 Spirits of 2020 at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge as well. The category of shochu-based whisky is gaining credibility quickly through its infancy.

five colorful bottles of Japanese rice whisky in a well lit bar — Rice Shochu-Based Whiskies

Genshu rice shochu can have a nutty, fruity (malic), and smooth quality. Aging in oak barrels brings out vanilla and caramel notes and adds a creaminess to the texture. Ex-Sherry barrels are often used for some of the aging and can further accentuate the nutty, oxidative quality of the base spirit. Fukano Whisky tends to be aromatic and drinks lighter than the bottled ABV implies. They’re very good rice whiskies and worth seeking out if you are a huge fan of Japanese whiskies or a lover of shochu.