Portrait of Yoshitsugu Komasa
i. Biography
Coming Up
Shaped at the intersection of shochu practice and diversification, Yoshitsugu Komasa’s work at Kanosuke Distillery shows how a family distilling business can extend into whisky and gin without losing its base. As founder, master blender and CEO, he has kept the company anchored to its original strengths while opening new categories for the house to develop. The emphasis is on controlled change: expansion built from inherited know-how rather than a break from it.
Yoshitsugu Komasa trained at Tokyo University of Agriculture, where the formal study of agriculture and fermentation gave structure to the technical side of his later work. He then worked as distiller of rice wine shochu at Hioki Distillery (until 2021), a role that placed him inside the daily discipline of spirit production before he founded Kanosuke Distillery in 2017. At Kanosuke Distillery, the combination of founder, CEO and master blender keeps him close to both production decisions and the broader direction of the business.
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Where They Are Now
At Kanosuke Distillery in Kagoshima, Japan, the current remit is one of direct oversight: president, CEO, founder and master blender. That combination points to hands-on control across business and blend, with the distillery’s identity carrying forward from shochu into whisky and gin. Yoshitsugu Komasa’s position is defined by continuity in the house style and by the managed movement into new spirit forms.
Signature
Yoshitsugu's signature wines include Mellowed Kozuru. The name sits within a broader practice focused on craftsmanship and on the balance, texture and maturation that shape the finished spirit.
In Their Words “My father expanded the company during the shochu boom in Japan, and I took on the challenge of taking the family business into new territory – whisky and gin – whilst continuing to strengthen the shochu backbone of the company.” That line places the work in a family line of production decisions rather than in personal myth: preserve the shochu base, develop new categories, and manage both at once. His second remark turns to maturation, where changes in temperature affect the interaction between whisky and barrel wood, building depth and a mellow taste profile over time.
Honors
No awards are cited.
FAQ
Asked of Yoshitsugu
What is Yoshitsugu Komasa's current role?
As of 2026, Yoshitsugu Komasa is President and CEO.
Where did Yoshitsugu Komasa train or study?
Yoshitsugu Komasa trained at Tokyo University of Agriculture.
The Sunday email
Read about winemakers like Yoshitsugu Komasa in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
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