Shirayuri and Ikehara Shuzo — a tiny Ishigaki distillery making awamori over an open flame since 1951

In Okawa, the town center of Ishigaki Island, a small awamori distillery has been at work since 1951. This is Ikehara Shuzo, home of Shirayuri — an awamori known for its strong, distinctive character.

The name Shirayuri, "white lily," was chosen by founder Ikehara Yokichi, who wanted the spirit to carry the freshness of the lilies that bloom in Ishigaki's fields in early spring. When the founder — the current head's great-grandfather — passed away, his grandmother carried the distillery as its second generation. Today it is led by third-generation head Ikehara Yu, born in 1987, who returned to the island after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and took over the family business in 2013.

A 70-year-old pot still, and every step by hand

At the heart of Ikehara Shuzo is a pot still that has been in use for more than 70 years. Distilling over a direct flame is slower and harder than using an efficient boiler, but it produces a deeper, more individual spirit. Shirayuri's outline is drawn by this one kettle.

Every step is done by hand: washing the rice, making the koji, tending the mash, distilling, bottling, and pasting on each label one by one. Nothing is added — the brew is 100% natural — and the spirit is only roughly filtered on purpose, leaving in the compounds that give it complexity. The water comes from the soft-water veins of Mount Omoto, the highest mountain in Okinawa Prefecture. Two days for koji, two weeks for the mash, then distillation: one bottle of awamori takes about three weeks to make.

Why insist on handwork? Ikehara Yu puts it simply: putting time and care into every single bottle is the point. Machines make it hard to build memories with your customers.

"Break things to protect them" — a tradition that evolves

Shirayuri tastes of dense, earthy aromas with a vanilla-like note. It is a spirit with real edges, and that is exactly why it has devoted fans — they even have a name, the "Shirayurists." Listen to them and you hear something telling: some say they miss the rougher character of the old days, others insist it has never tasted better. The distillery's philosophy — that a tradition stays alive by evolving with its era — is written right there in its fans' voices.

The third generation's motto is "break things to protect them — just try it first." True to it, the distillery revived a rare pre-war black koji strain called inui-kin, rarely used because of its strong character, and developed a new expression, Shirayuri inui 44, together with fans through crowdfunding. In 2021, Shirayuri Inui won Double Gold and Best of Class at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition — a first in the history of awamori.

A small distillery with a window you can talk to

The distillery is small and its output is limited. But smallness is the strategy: quality control and originality that only a tiny operation can pull off, with an ambition to carry awamori out into the world and make the distillery a reason people come to the island.

And you can talk to it before you ever arrive. The brewery owner has approved an online consultation window where you can ask about Shirayuri, the distillery, or Ishigaki itself. It clearly discloses that an AI is answering, the content is based on the owner's first-hand information, and it is free.