Brand: Mizu Green Tea
Distillery: Munemasa Shuzo
Location: Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan
Ingredients: rice (kome) koji, barley (mugi), green tea (yabukita)
Koji: black (kuro)
Distillation: vacuum-distilled
Alcohol: 35% (70 proof)
Price: $$$$
Introduction
Green tea is one of the unsung heroes of the shochu ingredients list. Added to the secondary fermentation, it imparts an elegant, complimentary aroma to the main starch source(s) in the fermenting mash. Plus there’s the added depth and layers to the flavor spectrum. When done well, which is not easy mind you, green tea shochu is a diminutive market segment that punches above its weight. And Mizu Green Tea Shochu does just that.
Fermented, distilled, and bottled in the Arita Region of Saga Prefecture, a part of Western Kyushu revered for its agriculture and pottery, Mizu Green Tea is both delectable and beautifully-designed. Make sure to take a look at the reverse side of the label; a light-gray, porcelain-inspired pattern cradles the spirit. I also love the black “cork” which sits snuggly in the top of the bottle, perfect for foiling unintended spills. It’s a bottle that many repurpose as a sleek water carafe, both at home and at the bar.
Mizu Green Tea is primarily available in North America (plus a smattering of top-flight establishments in Japan). After four tastings, I’m pleased to report that it’s one of the more versatile honkaku shochu I’ve sampled this year. And with all of this working-from-home business that some are adjusting to right now, I admit that I’ve sampled quite a lot.
Tasting Notes
On the nose, the green tea notes are nestled among barley graininess, kelp, and peppercorn. There’s also a faint, candied banana afterthought that hovers above the glass and sneaks to the front of the aroma profile if you inhale only lightly.
The palate is much the same although the tea notes hide for a moment before blossoming mid-palate. Or maybe it was the peppery and warm attack that briefly delays the tea’s arrival. Either way, it works. The sweetness from before has now become a little like bubblegum. Sweet and round with a long finish, I could sip this 35% ABV pot-distilled shochu all day.
On the rocks, the green tea notes move to the front. The drop in temperature wicks some of the sweetness, allowing the tea leaf bitterness to reveal itself a little more. Mixing Mizu Green Tea Shochu 1:2 (shochu to sparkling water) reasserts the sweetness, and may represent the two most satisfying bookends of this drink’s serving spectrum.
Hold on, I take that back. I also tried it oyuwari, and I loved it. After letting the hot water in the cup cool to around 150 degrees (60 C), I slowly poured a 2:3 blend which hit the spot dead-center. The Ureshino Tea notes came through crisply on the nose. And there was a savory balance of sweet and bitter accents on the palate. By the end of the tasting, oyuwari and neat were my two favorites, but I’m predictable like that.
The Verdict: Exceptional
Mizu’s Green Tea Shochu is the most recent addition to the Mizu Shochu lineup. It was preceded by their Saga Barley and Lemongrass brands which are also worth a spin. They’re now available in more than 20 US States (plus Eastern Canada), carried at finer bars and bottle shops nationwide. While I didn’t try it myself, I imagine you could have some fun mixing Mizu Green Tea with, well, tea. And seasonally-speaking, pouring Mizu Green Tea over ice with a slice of lemon sounds like the perfect porch sipper as the summer heat takes hold.
Kanpai!
