Founded in 1952, Kumesen Syuzo started distilling Awamori which is a rice-based distilled liquor in Okinawa where is also known as Ryukyu islands. This innovative distillery started to age Awamori in oak barrels in the late 20th, creating a unique kind of Ji-whisky in its own category, thus named it the Kujira Ryukyu Whisky.

Kumesen Syuzo distillery has been operational since 1952, and its primary product is Awamori. Back in 1989, though, the distillery started experimenting with whisky making in different oak barrels. In 2018, it introduced its first 20 Year Old Single Grain Whisky aged in bourbon cask also known as Kujira Ryukyu whisky. In 2020, the Kujira series was able to convince the distillery to once again share more of its previous aged rice whisky to the global market: Kujira 12-Year-Old Ryukyu Whisky.