Discover our products from Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka is known in Japan for its relaxed and international atmosphere and high quality of life. The city is regularly voted one of the best places in the world to live in by the relevant magazines. Here, the flair of a big city meets relaxing sandy beaches, and a breathtaking skyline meets picturesque temples. Fukuoka also has a lot to offer in terms of cuisine. Tonkotsu Ramen, for example, was invented here, where the broth is based on pork bones and served with sliced pork belly (also known as Hakata Ramen in Fukuoka).

Fukuoka Prefecture is blessed with particularly mild and pure water, and the prefecture is also home to high-quality barley grown on fertile plains. This is particularly suitable for the production of alcoholic products.

Our delicious products from Fukuoka Prefecture are the Mumei Gin, the Beniotome Kuro, the Beniotome 101, the Tsukushi Green Tea Umeshu, the Fukuro Shochu, the Kofukuro Shochu and the Yamanoka Shiso Shochu. We present three of them to you in detail here.

Beniotome Kuro

Beniotome Kuro Sesame Shochu (Goma Shochu) is a very special shochu, as Beniotome's shochus are the world's first distillates made from sesame. In 1978, the recipe for this spirit was developed by 65-year-old Haruno Hayashida, who, as the wife of a sake brewer, had never actually had anything to do with the production of shochu before. After many attempts, she finally succeeded in creating the intense and complex taste of a sesame shochu and became a pioneer in this field.

The combination of black sesame, barley and black rice koji, as well as three years of ageing in steel tanks, is what makes the taste of Beniotome Kuro so balanced, intense and exciting. At 25% by volume, it is very light and pleasant to drink. Thanks to the fine sesame note, this shochu goes particularly well with food, such as grilled or fried fish, roasted meat, but also with spicy dishes and strong desserts.

Mumei Gin

Mumei Gin has an intense flavor, yet is mild and pleasant. A total of eight botanicals are used: Juniper berry, coriander, bitter orange peel, yuzu, gyokuro - the finest Japanese tea, cherry tree leaves, hops and Japanese mint.

As gin is otherwise used more as a base for cocktails in Japan, Oenon has specifically selected botanicals that are very familiar to the Japanese palate so that Mumei Gin can also be enjoyed straight by the Japanese.

"Mumei" means something like "nameless", "anonymous". The manufacturer wants to express that the taste should say more than fine words. And he has certainly succeeded in doing so.

Yamanoka Shiso Shochu

Yamanoka Shiso Shochu is made with red shiso and is extremely refreshing. Shiso (perilla) is a spice and medicinal plant that is an integral part of Japanese cuisine. It is particularly aromatic, has an antibacterial effect, strengthens the immune system and is absolutely delicious.

In the production of Yamanoka Shochu, the Hananotsuyu Distillery combines its two areas of expertise by making this shochu from sake rice in addition to red shiso, which provides a slight sweetness. Yellow koji is used, which produces great fruity notes. At 20% by volume, this is a particularly mild shochu, but its aroma is extremely long and intense. Shiso is said to have its origins in the Himalayas, but has been used in Japan since ancient times in the Jomon period (300 BC). It has a unique fragrance, a healing and antibacterial effect and strengthens the immune system