“Daiyame,” the Kagoshima Spirit Whose Name Means “Healing the Day’s Fatigue” — Climbing the Step of Distillation
Series: “The Sake Staircase,” Episode 3 | Step 2: Shochu I
In this series, the first step was sake. In Episode 1, through Kotsuzumi, and in Episode 2, through Born, we twice traced the world of polishing rice and brewing it into sake. In Episode 3, we move one step higher. From brewed alcohol to distilled spirits. From sake to shochu. This is the entrance to the second step.
The Transition from Brewed to Distilled
When the step changes, the method of making the drink changes as well. Sake is a brewed alcohol made by fermenting a mash of rice, rice koji, and water, then pressing it. Shochu is a distilled spirit made by further distilling a mash fermented with koji. The aromatic components born through fermentation are extracted through the process of distillation, concentrating the aroma and raising the alcohol content. There is one element that runs through both steps: koji. In both sake-making and shochu-making, koji is the starting point for saccharification, the process of converting the starch in rice or sweet potatoes into sugar.
A Century and a Half of Preserving and Evolving
Guiding us into the entrance of this second step is Hamada Syuzou in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture. Founded in 1868, the first year of the Meiji era, this brewery, with more than 150 years of history, has three breweries, each with a different role: Denbeegura, which carries on tradition; Denzouingura, which drives innovation; and Kinzangura, which is entrusted with inheritance. It is an approach that separates, by brewery, the acts of preserving, changing, and passing down, while advancing all three at the same time.
For a long time, shochu carried a persistent, narrow stereotype—often perceived as a humble, utilitarian pour reserved for an older generation’s quiet evenings. With a single expression, Hamada Syuzou has quietly yet decisively reframed that narrative. The brand is called “Daiyame.” It was born in 2018 at Denzouingura, the brewery responsible for innovation, to commemorate the company’s 150th anniversary.
“Daiyame” is a Kagoshima word meaning to have an evening drink and soothe the fatigue of the day. It comes from the local custom long known as “dareyame.” The brewery chose this unadorned everyday word as the name of a brand it would present to the world. It was a wager that here was a culture of daily life capable of crossing generations, genders, and borders. The concept it put forward was “an unexplored aroma.”
An Olfactory Departure: The Lychee Revelation
That aroma is far removed from conventional images of shochu. The brewery uses a sweet potato it has uniquely matured called “Kojuku-imo,” or “aroma-matured sweet potato,” and ferments the mash with black koji before distilling it under reduced pressure so as not to damage the fragrance. What rises from the glass is a fresh aroma reminiscent of lychee and white flowers. According to overseas specialist media, only a very small fraction of breweries use vacuum distillation for sweet-potato shochu.
This olfactory departure has earned recognition far outside the traditional boundaries of shochu. “Daiyame” has repeatedly earned high praise at international spirits competitions where it is judged on the same stage as gin and vodka. It won the Shochu Trophy at London’s IWSC in 2019, and was selected for Double Gold at the ISC in 2020 and at San Francisco’s SFWSC in 2023. In addition, at Kura Master 2024, the authentic shochu and awamori competition held in Paris, it received the Platinum Award in the sweet-potato category. These objective evaluations confirm that it can stand not only as shochu, but as a world-class spirit.
Overseas, “DAIYAME 40,” designed with an alcohol content of 40%, is also being developed as a separate expression aimed at the cocktail scene, especially bartenders. It is available in Bangkok as well.
Denzouingura, where “Daiyame” is made, was also the first shochu brewery in Kagoshima to obtain FSSC 22000 certification, an international standard for food safety. The brewery is also pursuing initiatives such as using distillation residue as biogas and reducing energy consumption in the steaming process. Denzouingura’s stance of not only preserving but also changing extends not only to the quality of its spirits, but to the very way the brewery operates.
Three Perspectives in Bangkok
Both the first step, sake, and this second step, shochu, begin with saccharification by koji, followed by fermentation. Sake is pressed after fermentation, while shochu moves from there into distillation. The story of “Daiyame” connects to three places. Salon du Japonisant is a place to slowly trace the story of the brewery. Nadaya Saketen, a traditional liquor shop, is a place to encounter a selection chosen by professionals and the knowledge behind it. And KOUJI ALCHEMIST by Salon du Japonisant is a place to reconsider the origins of shochu—from saccharification by koji to fermentation and distillation—through the lens of koji. The same bottle can be understood from three different angles.
When you encounter “Daiyame” at Kanpai Thailand 2026, we invite you to reflect on the unique architectural shift this bottle represents. Shochu is another step in the world of Japanese alcohol, made by a method different from sake. Having learned, on the first step, about the world of polishing rice, we are now standing on the step of distillation.
Koji’s Note
What draws me most to “Daiyame” is that from the same starting point of koji, sake proceeds toward brewing, while shochu proceeds toward distillation, each moving to an entirely different step. Another thing that attracts me is the brewery’s attitude: it keeps its eyes on the world and continues researching a style of spirit that can be embraced by people overseas as well. Lychee is also a familiar fruit in Thailand. The aroma this brewery has refined will be clearly understood in Bangkok too.
There are 51 days until the opening. Next time, we remain on the second step. We will climb one more step on the shochu staircase.
This article is intended solely to explore the distillation techniques and cultural heritage of Hamada Syuzou and the Daiyame brand, and does not aim to promote or encourage the consumption or purchase of alcohol. Participating producers and products at KANPAI Thailand 2026 may change before the event. For those aged 20 and over; please drink responsibly.
บทความนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อนำเสนอข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับเทคนิคการกลั่นและมรดกทางวัฒนธรรมของ Hamada Syuzou และแบรนด์ Daiyame เท่านั้น มิได้มีเจตนาเพื่อส่งเสริมหรือโฆษณาการบริโภคหรือการซื้อเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ รายชื่อผู้ผลิตและผลิตภัณฑ์ที่ร่วมงาน KANPAI Thailand 2026 อาจมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงก่อนวันงาน สำหรับผู้มีอายุ 20 ปีขึ้นไป โปรดดื่มอย่างมีความรับผิดชอบ
Related Articles
“The Brewery That Gave Up Its Name” / “A Sake Named by a Poet—Tamba’s “Kotsuzumi,” the First Step into Japanese Sake” / “Map of Washu — The Five Steps at a Glance” / “The Lychee Aroma Rising from Imo Shochu” / “Lychee Aromas Born from Sweet Potatoes”
Related Product(s)
Discover the culture behind every bottle
We share brewery stories, tasting notes and the craft of koji & fermentation — for educational and cultural purposes only.
เราถ่ายทอดเรื่องราวจากผู้ผลิต บันทึกรสชาติ และศาสตร์แห่งโคจิและการหมัก — เพื่อการศึกษาและวัฒนธรรมเท่านั้น