For more than a century, our family has shown great dedication to bring you a whole new kind of Shochu for you to enjoy.
Born the son of pharmaceutical family in Haki at the end of Edo Period, Mr. Takejiro OGI moved to Nagasaki to study medicine. There, he met his new roommate, Mr. Gishiro KAJIYAMA, who became later the founder of modern distillation technique in Japan. Mr. Tanaka and Mr. Ogi became close friends and Mr. Ogi became interested in making distilled alcohol.
When he returned to his hometown Haki several years later, Mr. Ogi had already decided to devote himself to alcohol distillation. Thanks to the support of his younger brother, Yoshitaro, and other relatives, Mr. Ogi established his own distillery in 1885.
The stone statue of Ebisu was erected to pray for successful business at the time of the opening of the distillery. Because of this, we have been known as the “Ebisu Distillery” and beloved by local people ever since.
We used to operate a standing bar in one of the corners of our liquor shop. It was called “Kaku-uchi” and many local people dropped by after work and made it their social and communication space.
Did you know ? Ebisu, one of the seven gods of fortune in Japan, is enshrined as the deity of wealth and successful business.
In addition to the very popular local rice-made Shochu “Fukutoku Ebisu”, Mr. Jitsuzo TANAKA , the third generation of Ebisu Distillery, tried to develop more attractive and higher quality products. In the 1960s, he started to run experiments by using a rare and new method at the time: aged and matured Shochu in oak barrels. In 1969, he finally succeeded in bottling “ALEMBIC (LAMBIKI)" and commercialized it.
Today we have 6 different product line-ups, that vary depending on tastes and the number of years of aging: 3, 5, and 10 years. The longer a Shochu is aged, the milder and more mature they become. This often produces exceptional flavors, like vanilla, almond and fruits.
Our “LAMBIKI" (Ranbiki) products are named after “Alembic”, a single-type distillation apparatus invented in ancient Greece where alchemy was developed in the 4th century B.C. Although there are many stories about how this technique was brought into Japan, the word “RANBIKI”, which means distiller in Japanese, is derived from the Portuguese word “Alembic”.
Distillation techniques brought from overseas were uniquely modified and adapted to produce Japanese Shochu. Today, its quality is widely recognized in the world. We hope that our authentic Shochu products, inspired by our strong passion, will be appreciated and enjoyed by Shochu fans around the world.
There are of course many ways to enjoy Shochu, and it always comes down to personal taste or preference. Nevertheless, we wanted to share some ways to appreciate this alcohol as well as explain how to enhance its distinict flavors and complexity. Experiment with the tasting guidelines of our mascot Ebisu-kun (Ebisu boy).
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Enjoy the taste of aged Shochu as it is |
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Enjoy the full-bodied taste with melting ice cubes |
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Enjoy the gentle warm fragrance |
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After freezing a whole bottle, enjoy the half-melting frozen Shochu |
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Enjoy the clear refreshing taste with carbonated water |
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NODOGOSHI refers to the finishing taste of an alcohol drink, the way it lingers or disappears in your palate and throat. |
Aged and matured for 15 years. Continuous fruity aroma like pear and peach. Full-bodied, and deep Umami (rich taste). The flavor lasts and remains longer.
Aged and matured for 10 years. Pleasant aroma with slight vanilla and pear flagrance. While the taste of barley lasts and remains in your mouth, its toasting flavor gently comes out at later stage.
Aged and matured for 6 years. Full-bodied type Shochu with strong taste and Umami (rich taste). Dry and clear taste, but at the same time with a mellow sweetness. Pleasant taste that remains for a long time.
Aged and matured for 5 years. Vanilla and woody fragrance, which is specific to barrel aging method. Mellow sweetness of grains spread pleasantly in your mouth.
Aged and matured for 3 years. Fresh aroma with a slight banana and pear fragrance. Mellow yet fresh taste. This is our most popular ALEMBIC among our line-up and the icon of our company. Regular item.
Kokyu literally means “old and eternity”. This unique Shochu is aged and matured for 5 to 10 years in a tunnel storage room, keeping the same temperature at 15℃ all through the year. Thick and rich Umami taste, which is specific to Genshu (original Shochu). **Genshu is raw Shochu with no additives added after distillation, so the alcohol content is higher than other regular Shochu.
| 10 Years | 5 Years | |
| 30L | ¥ 128,000 EBS061 | |
| 5L | ¥ 54,000 EBS062 | |
| 720 ml | ¥ 5,700 EBS063 | ¥ 3,700 EBS064 |
| 500 ml | ¥ 5,700 EBS065 | ¥ 5,700 EBS066 |
Aged and matured for 5 years. Natural flavor comes from grains used as raw material. Mellow touch and well-balanced between dry taste and sweetness. Perfect match for any Japanese food.
“Keiko to Narumo, Gyugo to Naru-nakare” refers to an old Japanese saying, which can be translated as "Better be the head of a pike than the tail of a sturgeon"
Aged and matured for 3 years. Made from 100% locally-grown barley. Sweet and fresh clear taste but the bitter aroma and fragrance of barley also spread in your mouth.
Aged and matured for 5 years. Available only in autumn and winter. Toasted aroma, similar to roasted chestnuts. Clear deep taste just like autumn skies.
Aged and matured for 3 years. The unique harmony between rice and Koji barley (Mugi Koji) produces sweet nutty (nut-like) aroma. Its mellow but strong clear taste comes from the specific character of rice, a solid core.
Driven by tradition and passion we are a family-run company
Tanaka san is our master distiller as well as Senior Managing Director. His passion and dedication have brought the Ebisu distillery to new heights awarded by many prizes.
Senior Managing Director
A warm smile for welcoming our guests and of course a natural gift for numbers. Thank you mom !
Accounting
Stay updated, learn more about Shochu, our distillery and beautiful region !
Welcome to the new English website of EBISU Distillery, we are absolutely delighted to be able to reach out to our English speaking clientele and share our passion of Shochu.
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Have a tour of our products and shop, enjoy the video !
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I am always looking for the right atmosphere when enjoying a good Shochu, maybe because I was inspired during my road trip in the US back when I took a car and went from coast to coast. Well...here is my song !
more detailsWe would love to hear from you. Please contact us using this form or directly by e-mail:info@ranbiki.com
If you would like to order, you can use the reference codes of the products with the quantites, we will reply with a confirmation mail including the shipping costs. Individual orders only available in Japan. Worldwide wholesalers and distributors: please contact us directly by email.
You can also visit us directly at our distillery and have an introduction to Shochu tasting. Groups are welcome, please send us your inquiries.
EBISU DISTILLERY
680-3 Hakihayashida Asakura-shi
Fukuoka-ken 838-1506, JAPAN