Photo/Illutration Kobe Brandy is now on sale. (Kenji Oda)

Base wines that survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake and matured in two types of barrels have been turned into a Kobe-brand brandy.

Made entirely of ingredients and grapes produced in Kobe, the 238 bottles of brandy are each sold for 198,000 yen ($1,300), including tax.

“Rare Cask Supreme Kobe Brandy Aged 21 Years” (750 ml) was produced by GrowStars Inc., a trading company of alcoholic beverages based in Kobe’s Chuo Ward.

The company bought the base wines from Kobe Noseikosha, an incorporated foundation that focuses on developing agriculture and fisheries in the city.

It had produced and sold Kobe Wine for many years, using the white Chardonnay grape variety harvested in Kobe.

The base wines were prepared by Kobe Noseikosha’s predecessor at what is now the Kobe Fruit & Flower Park Ozo in Kita Ward.

The group had been working on brandy production even before the earthquake. After the quake devastated the Kobe area in January 1995, the group moved to Nishi Ward.

Although brandy is no longer made at the flower park, the oak casks containing the base wines survived the shaking, allowing for further maturation.

GrowStars, which had hoped to “spread the Kobe brand internationally,” heard about the base wines a few years ago and decided to buy them.

At its Kobe Distillery located in the flower park, the company moved the wines to sherry casks and let them mature for seven more months.

Although the brandy contains base wines dating back before the earthquake struck 30 years ago, only the shortest maturation period among the base wines can be used in the product name. So “21” went on the label.

About 15 bottles of wine are used to make one bottle of brandy.

Having been matured in two kinds of casks, Kobe Brandy became a premium product.

Normally, the astringent flavor increases with a longer maturation period. But Kobe Brandy is light in astringency, has berry flavors and is characterized by a mild and rich sweetness.

“The brandy was produced with care using base wines that survived the earthquake,” Narumi Kameya, a spokesperson for the company, said. “We really want people to try it.”

The brandy comes with a drink coaster made from the leather of Kobe beef.

The bottles are sold through the website of GrowStars’ Kobe Distillery and at duty-free shops at Kansai International Airport, among other places.

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