About the Distillery : The Higa Shuzo distillery was born at the end of the Second World War, after the terrible ordeal of the Great Pacific War. Okinawa was literally burned to the ground. The inhabitants of the prefecture, who had survived the violent fighting, lacked everything and alcohol was a luxury product difficult to obtain. Tacorakichi Higa, the founder quit his job as a teacher and devoted himself to the production of awamori with the philosophy of "producing safe and reliable awamori", at a time when the inhabitants of the islands consumed drinks dangerous for health. In 1948, he obtained his brewing license from the American civil government and marketed his first awamori, Marutaka, named after his hometown. Many years later, in 1980, the main brand "Zanpa" was born. The Zanpa series is enjoyed not only by the local population of Okinawa, but also throughout Japan.