SHIBI no TSUYU

Sensory profile

For both making and dilution

Jikuya draws groundwater from the Mount Shibi system, from 146 metres below ground, for both brewing water and dilution water. This shared source gives the making a clear local line from the beginning to the finished bottling.

White koji, traditional still, restrained filtration

SHIBI no TSUYU is built from Kagoshima sweet potato and white rice koji. It is distilled in a traditional single still and filtered lightly, allowing the shochu to retain a fuller sweet-potato character while keeping the finish composed.

An unpolished character, held to a settled finish

These are not pairings the maker has presented, but readings drawn from the confirmed production facts on record. Starting from what this page states directly — white koji, an old-style single still, light filtration that keeps the ingredient’s own character, and a settled finish — four directions are set out below.

This pairing rationale draws on the following reference books: This page carries little specific description of aroma or taste, so the above is built only from the confirmed production facts — white koji, single distillation, the degree of filtration, the water source, and the ABV. Matching a quiet finish to a quiet dish follows the texture-and-temperature discussion in ロジカルペアリング (Logical Pairing), and the point that distilled spirits barely interfere with a dish’s five base tastes follows Chapter 4 of すし・和食のペアリング法則 (Pairing Principles for Sushi and Japanese Cuisine).

Pairing guide — Shochu & Selected Spirits →

Satsuma, Kagoshima — Jikuya Distillery

Jikuya Distillery was founded in 1910 at the foot of Mount Shibi in Satsuma, Kagoshima. The small house uses the mountain’s groundwater for both brewing and dilution, and continues its white-koji-led approach under fourth-generation brewer Maiko Jikuya.