One afternoon in February 1891, a Japanese chemist named Jokichi Takamine arrived by train in Peoria, Ill. He was there at the invitation of the Distilling and Cattle Feeding Company, by far the largest spirits producer in America at the time, and he came bearing a potentially revolutionary way of making whiskey, using a type of mold called koji to kick-start fermentation.
His process, which replaced the malting technique typically used by Western distillers, promised to increase yields by 10 percent or more, making the distillers, and him, millions of dollars.
But the company, commonly known as the Whiskey Trust, was plagued by corruption and collapsed before he could start production. Dr. Takamine, and the Takamine process, were largely forgotten.
Recently, though, a number of koji-based whiskeys have begun to appear on liquor store shelves and high-end back bars in the United States, this time not for the sake of efficiency but for flavor: The process creates a spirit poised between savory richness and elegant floral notes, unmistakably whiskey but at the same time utterly unique.
“Koji whiskey is soft on the palate, without the oiliness of a traditional whiskey, and it has a mellow finish,” said Mike Vacheresse, an owner of Travel Bar in Brooklyn, which serves several koji-based spirits.
