島霧酒廠造的「黒霧島」銷量冠軍

Last month the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

「黒霧島」が「いいちこ」超え…霧島酒造が首位

　帝国データバンク福岡支店は１５日、焼酎メーカーの２０１２年の売上高ランキングを発表した。

　主力の芋焼酎「黒霧島」が好調だった霧島酒造（宮崎県）が、前年比６・１％の増収で５００億円を超え、１０回目の今回初めてトップに立った。

　霧島酒造は、０３年の１回目は１２４億円で８位だったが、関東や関西などの大都市圏でも徐々に「黒霧島」が浸透するなど、右肩上がりで業績を拡大してきた。

　９年連続で首位だった三和酒類（大分県）は２位に後退。昨春、主力の麦焼酎「いいちこ」をペットボトルに詰めた新商品を発売するなどし、８年ぶりの増収を確保したものの、伸びはわずかにとどまった。

　上位５０社の総売上高は前年比２・１％増の２８４９億円。東日本大震災が発生した１１年に消費の自粛ムードが広がった反動もあり、４年ぶりにプラスに転じた。増収だったのは半数近い２３社で、前年（１１社）の約２倍に増えた。税引き後利益の黒字は、損益が判明した４４社中４２社（前年は３９社中３４社）にのぼった。

　ランキング調査は、帝国データバンクの企業データベースをもとに、１２年１～１２月期決算の売上高に占める焼酎の割合が５０％以上のメーカーを対象に実施した。

（2013年8月15日20時22分 読売新聞）

(試譯文)

   On the 15^th (August) the Teikoku Databank Fukuoka branch announced the sales ranking in 2012 for white-distilled-liquor makers.

   Kirishimashuzo (Miyazaki prefecture) with its prime liquor "Black Fog Island", which was distilled from sweet potatoes, had sales exceeded 50 billion yen which was an increase of income by 6.1% compared with last year. This time, the 10^th round in ranking, it ranked at the top for the first time.

   Kirishimashuzo in 2003, in the 1st round ranking, was at the 8th place at 12,400 million yen. Expansion was achieved by the continuous rising sales of the "Black Fog Island" that even permeated gradually in metropolises, such as Kanto and Kansai.

   Sanwa Shurui (Oita Prefecture) which was at the first place for nine consecutive years in ranking retreated to the 2nd place. Although last spring a new product which filled the prime barley shochu "Iichiko" in a plastic bottle was put on the market, and an increase in income was secured for the first time in eight years, the growth remained slight.

   The gross sale of top 50 companies was 284,900 million yen, an increase of 2.1% compared with last year. While there was a reaction to the Great East Japan Earthquake which generated a wide spread mood in self-restraint on consumption in 2011, sales increased for the first time in four years. 23 companies, which were nearly half of the 50 companies, had an income increase of about twice compared with the previous year (11 companies in the previous year). Among companies that had their profit and loss approved, those with after-tax profit in black reached 42 companies out of 44 companies (there were 34 companies out of 39 companies in the previous year).

   This ranking investigation was conducted for makers that had 50% or more of their sales in white distilled liquor, as represented in their settled account covering the period from January to December of 2012, based on the company database of Teikoku Databank.

It seems that Kirishimashuzo’s "Black Fog Island" is quite popular. I would try to enjoy one when I visit Japan next time in order to find out why it is so popular.