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Christopher Pellegrini

Hawaiian Shochu Company: Crafting Japan’s Traditional Spirit in Oahu

September 13, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini 2 Comments

Hawaiian Shochu Company: Crafting Japan’s Traditional Spirit in OahuHaleiwa, on the North Coast of the island, known internationally as a surfer’s paradise, is now home to The Hawaiian Shochu Company, which makes the most authentic single pot-distilled shochu currently made outside Japan.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Adventures Tagged With: Banzai Strength, Hawaii, Hawaiian Shochu Company, Namihana, shochu, sweet potato shochu

Kokuto: Japan’s Delicious Dark Sugar

August 31, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini 4 Comments

Kokuto: Japan’s Delicious Dark SugarKokuto sugar is Japan's top-quality dark sugar tradition. It is one of the world's great "unrefined" sugars, and it's used in cooking, consumed as a snack, or added to the second fermentation when brewing kokuto shochu in Japan's Amami Islands.

Filed Under: Shochu Tagged With: amami kokuto shochu, kokuto, kokuto shochu, kokuto sugar, sugarcane

The SG Shochu Cocktail Recipes

August 28, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini Leave a Comment

The SG Shochu Cocktail RecipesThe SG Shochu brand manager, Joshin Atone, talks with Kanpai.us about shochu's versatility and potential in the cocktail. He also shares three recipes for bartenders to try.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Cocktails Tagged With: cocktail recipe, cocktails, honkaku shochu, Joshin Atone, Shingo Gokan, shochu, shochu cocktail, The SG Shochu, The SG Shochu IMO, The SG Shochu KOME, The SG Shochu MUGI

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu MUGI

August 27, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini Leave a Comment

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu MUGIThe SG Shochu MUGI wraps several barley shochu identities into one. It's lightly barrel-aged and carries the associated sweet notes. But there's also a graininess that is revealed when the temperature of the drink drops. It's a versatile barley shochu that can be enjoyed a variety of ways.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: honkaku shochu, mugi shochu, Oita, Oita mugi shochu, Sanwa Shurui, shochu, The SG Shochu, The SG Shochu MUGI

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu IMO

August 26, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini Leave a Comment

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu IMOThe SG Shochu IMO is a clear invitation to create the classic imo cocktail. If you get it right, it will resonate and cascade around the world until you can't not have sweet potato shochu on your menu if you consider yourself a proper drinking establishment.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: honkaku shochu, imo shochu, sg shochu, sg shochu imo, shochu

Mizu Green Tea Shochu

July 20, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini Leave a Comment

Mizu Green Tea ShochuMizu's Green Tea Shochu is the most recent addition to the Mizu Shochu lineup.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: green tea shochu, mizu green tea, Mizunomai, Saga, shochu

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Shochu Reviews

iichiko Saiten

After winning some awards on the international spirits circuit (including double-gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition), there's ample evidence that iichiko Saiten deserves serious consideration by bartenders everywhere.

Shochu Reviews

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu MUGI

The SG Shochu MUGI Label
The SG Shochu MUGI wraps several barley shochu identities into one. It's lightly barrel-aged and carries the associated sweet notes. But there's also a graininess that is revealed when the temperature of the drink drops. It's a versatile barley shochu that can be enjoyed a variety of ways.

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu KOME

Putting your nose in a glass of The SG Shochu Kome shows you just how complex a vacuum distilled rice shochu can be. Ginjo sake aromas from the yeast, pineapple, melon, and a faint hint of dairy-like lactic acidity are all present.

iichiko silhouette

This iichiko silhouette is probably the most common Japanese shochu currently available in the United States. In NYC I’ve seen it in random mom & pop liquor stores as the only shochu among a shelf of sake options. It’s most commonly available in 750ml bottles, though I’ve seen other sizes in other countries. This is a great starter shochu, which is why I’ve chosen it for my first tasting note. It was my introduction to shochu back in 2008. I’d had Korean soju before, but Japanese shochu is a strikingly different (and better) experience.

Shochu Reviews

Tasting Notes: Nankai

Nankai Shochu
At first whiff, Nankai smells faintly grassy, which is common in kokuto shochu owing to how kokuto sugar is made from fresh cut cane and that fresh grassiness is a sign of well made kokuto sugar. Sugar cane is, after all, a tall perennial grass. It is still pretty wild that they can capture that after fermentation and distillation.

Tasting Notes: Lento Shochu

Lento is the top selling kokuto shochu in Japan, and it is available internationally as well. Try it on the rocks or with sparkling water for a refreshing taste of the Amami Islands. Kanpai!

Mizu Lemongrass Shochu

Mizu Lemongrass Shochu may not be an authentic honkaku shochu due to the use of lemongrass, but this is a case where a beautiful spirit breaks the rules.

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