{"id":176130,"date":"2026-02-24T12:08:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T03:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=176130&#038;lang=en"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:08:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T03:08:51","slug":"shochu-maker-to-launch-kumadai-yeast-rum","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/news\/shochu-maker-to-launch-kumadai-yeast-rum\/","title":{"rendered":"Shochu Maker to Launch Kumadai Yeast Rum"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Oishi Shuzo, a shochu producer based in Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, announced it will release a new rum made from locally grown sugarcane and a yeast strain developed by Kumamoto University. The product, named \u201cJaponicus Rhum Agricole,\u201d uses Kumadai yeast\u2014previously applied in shochu and craft beer production\u2014known for producing high levels of ethyl acetate that create a fruity aroma. Sales begin February 26 through the company\u2019s online store, with about 380 bottles available in two 700-milliliter varieties priced at \u00a55,720 and \u00a58,800. A limited 200-milliliter edition will also be sold at the Kumamoto University co-op. The company has begun a second production run and is considering overseas exports. <strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tku.co.jp\/news\/?news_id=20260220-00000009\" target=\"_blank\">TKU<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kumamoto-u.ac.jp\/whatsnew\/koho\/2025\/20260210\" target=\"_blank\">Kumamoto University<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nikkei.com\/article\/DGXZQOJC19CO70Z10C26A2000000\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nikkei<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fnn_kumamoto-university-oishi-shuzo-rum_2026_cl.jpeg?resize=1400%2C1050&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-176131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fnn_kumamoto-university-oishi-shuzo-rum_2026_cl.jpeg?w=1400&amp;ssl=1 1400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fnn_kumamoto-university-oishi-shuzo-rum_2026_cl.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fnn_kumamoto-university-oishi-shuzo-rum_2026_cl.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fnn_kumamoto-university-oishi-shuzo-rum_2026_cl.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/>Photo: Kumamoto University<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed with the latest Fukuoka &#038; Kyushu news and events in English. Sign up for our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\">free weekly newsletter<\/a> today and never miss a beat. Opt out anytime, your privacy is our priority. Get the inside scoop with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/mailmagazine\/\">The Now<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Summaries based on public content, errors may occur during translation. Images credited independently. Send feedback using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/contact\/\">this <strong>form<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oishi Shuzo, a shochu producer based in Akune, Kagoshima Prefecture, announced it will release a new rum made from locally grown&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30292,"featured_media":176131,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-176130","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-kagoshima-prefecture","location-kumamoto-prefecture","news-category-general","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/176130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30292"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}