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A Brewery with over 130 Years of History, Crafting Dabada Hiburi Chestnut Shochu from Shimanto’s Bounty
Founded in 1893 (Meiji 26), Mutemuka is a brewery and distillery based in Taisho, Shimanto Town, Kochi Prefecture. Its guiding philosophy is to remain humble regardless of honors, avoid pretension, cherish simplicity, and focus wholeheartedly on making local drinks that draw on nature’s gifts. It values local ingredients, incorporating Shimanto’s chestnuts, rice, water, and other natural resources into its sake and shochu.
Its signature drink is Dabada Hiburi, a chestnut shochu created using chestnuts, a specialty of the Shimanto River basin. Its range also includes sake made with locally harvested rice, long-aged varieties, and liqueurs. Chestnut shochu production usually begins around September, followed by sake production around October. Brewery tours are available with an advance reservation.
The attached Jizakeya shop carries the full Mutemuka product range. You can also sample Shimanto Mysterious Reserve, aged over an extended period in an underground tunnel storehouse. The selection includes sweets made with Dabada Hiburi, such as Kuri Shochu Cake and Dabada Hiburi Baum, a baumkuchen cake. Visitors who do not drink alcohol can also enjoy browsing the products. A visit offers a chance to explore Mutemuka’s approach to working with Shimanto’s natural bounty and taste the results firsthand.
Mutemuka’s distinctive ivy-covered brewery and distillery
The on-site plant where Mutemuka’s drinks are bottled
The attached Jizakeya shop
Dabada Hiburi, Mutemuka’s signature chestnut shochu
Mutemuka Junmai Ginjo and Mutemuka Daiginjo, sake made with locally grown rice
A hands-on program that takes you from growing rice to brewing sake
Frequently Asked Questions have been vetted and answered directly by each listing.
Q
What experiences does Mutemuka offer?
With an advance reservation, you can tour the brewery and see where chestnut shochu and sake are made. You can also enjoy tastings and shop for products at the attached store.
Q
What can I do at the nearby Shimanto River Shochu Bank?
About a three-minute walk from the brewery, the Shimanto River Shochu Bank offers Yochochu, a service in which chestnut shochu made with at least 75% chestnuts is stored in jars and left to age for one to three years.
Q
Can I enjoy a visit if I don’t drink alcohol?
The shop also sells sweets made with Dabada Hiburi, such as Kuri Shochu Cake and Dabada Hiburi Baum. Visitors who do not drink alcohol can also enjoy looking for distinctive Shimanto products.
