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November 2023 by Michelle S.
Been coming since the pandemic. This small, husband and wife run distillery make the best local (not sure if anyone else even makes it) sochu and gin products! Get on their mailing list to keep up with their latest releases. Super friendly and always willing to talk about their products and production...it's worth the drive from town to pick up and chat with Ken-san and his wife. So much more to say about how they use local ingredients as much as they can, but I'll leave it at that. Come to see them...you won't be sorry!
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April 2023 by WC T.
Excellent sake. Special breed for the Hawaii islands and the South Pacific. They sell 100% of their products before the end of the year!
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February 2023 by Bradley M.
Amazing!!! A must visit. The owner is super friendly. Place is off the beaten path so keep your eyes open. Book in advance, space fills up fast.
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January 2023 by David A.
Distiller Ken Hirata give my wife and I a Shochu 101 overview class. With old school techniques, labor of love, the finish product was surprisingly good compared to what I had experienced in the past. Nami Hana on ice was excellent and was disappointed not able to sample Banzai Strength, pineapple and chestnut shochu's.
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November 2022 by James P.
The owner was an expert on traditional methods of creating Japanese spirits. Was very warm and welcoming to our family. Must make a reservation since he's only a two man band. And he doesn't follow social media!
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July 2022 by Lika G.
Forever in my heart the original on Liliha st !! Been going here since I was 5. I love everything Especially a hamburger steak grilled bread with jelly.
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April 2022 by leimomi k.
This review is a long time in coming! Should you ever want to buy local and from a master shochu maker, then this is the only place to visit. Tour: email ahead if you want a tour. The tour is for small parties of 6 or less as of this posting. Ken, shochu master, does a really thorough and thoughtfully mindful tour in educating about making shochu and how important it is to him to use all local sourced ingredients that is grown in Hawai'i. Namihana - Each shochu batch is named by the #batch he is on, so we tried batch #17, extra 17. I prefer the EXTRA and will return to purchase #18 extra soon. The "Extra," is smoother and dry. He started making gin which I wanted to return for when its bottled. Batches are made in very limited number so when the batch is ready, time to go down to Hale'iwa! We are so lucky we have real shochu making here in Hawai'i!
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March 2022 by Roya MJ
If you can get a tour do it. Just go on their website and email him. Ken, the owner, is amazing. It’s just him and his wife and they use a traditional method to distill. He thoroughly explains the process and then provides a tasting of one item.Bottles are more expensive than what you can get at the local stores, but it’s the small batch hand crafted quality you’re paying for. There are no timers, computers, etc here. Everything is done the traditional way with high quality ingredients.Please understand he’s a one man operation and has limited availability for tours. Book way in advance. Or visit between operating hours, currently 1-3 pm, to purchase. Buy local, support local.
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March 2022 by Roya J.
If you can get a tour do it. Just go on their website and email him. Ken, the owner, is amazing. It's just him and his wife and they use a traditional method to distill. He thoroughly explains the process and then provides a tasting of one item. Bottles are more expensive than what you can get at the local stores, but it's the small batch hand crafted quality you're paying for. There are no timers, computers, etc here. Everything is done the traditional way with high quality ingredients. Please understand he's a one man operation and has limited availability for tours. Book way in advance. Or visit between operating hours, currently 1-3 pm, to purchase. Buy local, support local.
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April 2021 by Darin Matsuno
Awesome, artisan-made shouchu, awesome people! Unique among the world of shouchu!
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March 2021 by Elliot L.
I was just introduced to this very special place on the north shore today. Went along for the ride with my cousin to pick up his order and was honored to meet Ken Hirata and his wonderful wife. Their passion for making shoju is obivious. I was lucky that their current batch was just released so that had bottles I could purchase without pre-ordering. Got it home and tried it. Even with high anticipation, it did not disappoint. Raising a glass to Hirata-san. Kampai!!
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December 2020 by Dathan C.
They say the best can weather even the worst storms. I'm not so sure about that these days, but one outstanding local business I'm going to try to keep afloat is the Hawaiian Shochu company (HSC) Due to covid, HSC hasn't sold out of its regular 6,000 annual bottle production of the 750 ml bottle. The extra strong 375 ml is sold out for now. Lucky for me that let my friends and I pickup four bottles of their heavenly Nami Hana. Ken, the master brewer, suggested drinking it with a little ice, but not directly chilled from the fridge. I just drink it neat, cuz, you know, I'm not a heathen. They're only open for pickup via reservation, which you can make by email or telephone. The tour of the distillery is not regularly offered. So if you are planning to go to Haleiwa, make a reservation to drop by and pick up a bottle of some of the finest, most unique liquor. Just remember to wear your mask!
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September 2020 by Bryce Seichi
Originally tried this Shochu at Kawano in McCully shopping center. We liked it so much we went out to Haleiwa to buy a few bottles. The owner is extremely nice and helpful. He also explained which batch was made from what sweet potato and how the taste would be different. It was a great experience.
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September 2020 by Gary Furukawa
Great overall experience, the owner Ken is very personable and extremely helpful and informative. The pricing is on the upper range for Shochu, however I haven't tried a bad bottle yet and can honestly say that they were worth what I paid for them.
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July 2020 by Justine LaLa Story
Couldn’t resist trying out the local shochu brewery in the north shore. They offer the tour to their production factory however due to the COVID 19, they were unable to offer when we went to pick up bottles we ordered. Each year they grow and cultivate different type of sweet potatoes to make the vintage. You need to reserve in advance as the production is limited per year. This year, many visitors were unable to come collect the reserved bottles.Maybe you can give them a call if you are interested in trying out Japanese shochu
