"Nekak Vodka," a vodka made from rice produced by Nekakak Okuaizu Distillery, is now on sale from the public! [Fukushima Prefecture]

Nekka Okuaizu Distillery, located in Tadami Town, Fukushima Prefecture, produces the rice shochu "Nekka .

Nekka Vodka is made by re-distilling sake lees, a by-product of the rice shochu distillation process, and filtering the resulting high-alcohol spirit through birch charcoal .

General sales of this craft rice vodka, "Nekka Vodka," will begin in July 2024

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What is Nekka Oku-Aizu Distillery?

Tadami Town in Fukushima Prefecture is located in the westernmost part of Fukushima Prefecture, and if you cross the mountains you will reach Nagaoka City in Niigata Prefecture

While there is still a lot of nature remaining, it is also one of Japan's snowiest areas, with snow accumulations exceeding 3 meters in winter

Four rice farmers and one brewing engineer from Tadami Town have turned their attention to making "rice shochu" using rice, a local specialty

Nekka LLC was established in July 2016, and the Nekka Oku-Aizu Distillery was completed in December of the same year. Distillation of the rice shochu "Nekka" began

The meaning of nekka

Nekka is a word used in Tadami Town and the Minamiaizu Nango region, meaning "completely" or "absolutely not." The official website explains it as follows:

What is "Nekka"?

Used in Tadami Town and the Minamiaizu Nango region, "nekkasasukenee" is a phrase used to emphasize something, meaning "not at all" or "not at all." It expresses the "nekkasasukenee (No problem at all)" spirit, which means not denying possibilities and looking at things with a positive attitude

Source: Nekka LLC Okuaizu Distillery

Nekka, a rice shochu that has won numerous awards

"Nekka Rice Shochu" was first distilled in February 2017, the year after the distillery was completed, and has won numerous awards since its release

• July 2017: IWSC2017 (International Wine & Spirits Competition) Silver Medal Winner
• July 2018: Double Silver Medal Winner at IWSC2018 (International Wine & Spirits Competition)
• November 2018: HKIWSC2018 (Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition) Gold Medal Winner "Nekka"
• April 2019: "Nekka" won the top prize at CINVE 2019 (Spain International Spirits Competition)
• July 2020: TWSC (Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition) 2020 Gold Medal Winners "Nekka" and "Baganekka"
• April 2021: KuraMaster (France) Nekka Special Edition / Baganekka Gold Award winner

The taste of this rice shochu, made from 100% sake rice produced in Tadami, is backed up by its award-winning history

Nekka Okuaizu Distillery <Information>

• Name: Nekka LLC Okuaizu Distillery
• Address: 998 Yanatorioki, Tadami-machi, Minamiaizu-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, 968-0603
• Phone number: 0241-72-8872
• Official URL: https://nekka.jp/

Google Maps

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Craft rice vodka made from rice "Nekka Vodka"

The sake lees, a by-product of the distillation process of "rice shochu nekka," are distilled again to increase the alcohol content to 15%, and then further distilled again to create a spirit with an alcohol content of 45 to 50%

The international rule for something to be called vodka is that "spirits must be filtered through birch charcoal," so by filtering this highly concentrated spirit through birch charcoal, "Nekka Vodka" is created.

Making vodka from sake lees with remaining alcoholic content to return it to nature

The distinctive feature of rice shochu "Nekka" is its ginjo aroma, which is more than twice that of sake. In order to maximize the flavor derived from the rice, the distillation at Nekka Okuaizu Distillery is stopped early. Therefore, a considerable amount of alcohol remains in the sake lees of Nekka

In this state, it cannot be reused as compost or animal feed. That's why we came up with the idea of ​​distilling the sake lees. This re-distillation removes the alcohol from the sake lees, which are then mixed with rice bran and husks for fermentation, and then returned as compost to the rice paddies where Nekka's sake rice is grown

"Nekka Vodka" was born from an upcycling initiative aimed at establishing such a circular farming method

Nekka Vodka <Product Overview>

This Japanese rice vodka uses rice grown in Tadami, allowing you to experience the flavor of rice. It features a subtle ginjo aroma and the umami flavor of rice, and goes well with herbs and spices, making it a great base spirit for pickled sake

• Item: Spirits
• Product name: Vodka
• Ingredients: Pot-distilled shochu (produced in Tadami Town)
• Alcohol content: 40%
• Capacity: 500ml
• Base price: 2,000 yen

YUZU Nekka Vodka <Product Overview>

Yuzu peel soaked in Nekka vodka

By steeping the yuzu peels, which would normally be thrown away after squeezing, we create a refreshing vodka with a clear yuzu scent 

• Item: Spirits
• Product name: Vodka
• Ingredients: Pot-distilled shochu (produced in Tadami Town), yuzu peel (produced in Kochi Prefecture)
• Alcohol content: 40%
• Capacity: 500ml
• Base price: 2,200 yen

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