Details
Brand: Mizu Lemongrass Shochu
Distillery: Munemasa Distillery
Location: Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan
Ingredients: rice, rice koji, and fresh cut organic lemongrass (5% of mash bill)
Koji: white (shiro) rice
Distillation: vacuum
Alcohol: 35% (70 proof)
Price: $$$$
Introduction
We may get it out of the way right up front that lemongrass is not an approved ingredient for authentic honkaku shochu by current standards. However, everything else about this beautiful spirit complies. It’s made with koji, distilled in a pot still, and nothing is added after distillation other than water for dilution and time.
Lemongrass is not a native plant species to Japan and its introduction as a viable agricultural product is quite recent. In fact, it is believed that the organic lemongrass farm on a mountaintop in the Takeo region of Saga Prefecture is the first commercial lemongrass enterprise in the country. And that is exactly where Munemasa Distillery sources its lemongrass for this excellent shochu.
Tasting Notes
The nose is, of course, predominantly lemon grass, but with distinct ginjo sake rice aroma and a very light banana aroma, which is common in vacuum distilled shochu. This is a pleasant whiff, for sure, and prepares you very well for what is in store.
The initial impression upon a straight sip is prickly with tart, herbal notes. The lemongrass aftertaste is pronounced. After exploring this served other ways, neat is clearly not its intention. This is not a sipper, but rather something to be mixed in all sorts of ways.
On the rocks, the tart herbal presentation disappears into a lemony sweetness. Well balanced over ice, but where it really shines is with soda. This is simply made to be in a highball. I was drinking it in a Collins glass full of ice and then a 4:6 shochu to soda mix. It was balanced, rounded and beautiful. Reminded me quite a bit of the Japanese cocktail, the gin sonic (basically 1/3 gin, soda, and tonic with a lemon twist). The catch here is that this was straight up shochu and soda. No calories from the sweetened tonic water and no need for fruit. An excellent way to drink Mizu Lemongrass Shochu, especially in the heat of summer.
Oyuwari wasn’t bad with a 3:7 shochu:hot water mix – almost like a boozy herbal tea.
The Verdict: Highly Recommended
The first time I tried Mizu Lemongrass Shochu, I knew it was crying out to be in a highball, which is how I have been enjoying it ever since. However, for this tasting I went back to the basics several different ways. It turns out the way I liked it best wasn’t any of the above, but on a lark, toward the end of the focused tasting that resulted in this review, I grabbed a fresh sprig of rosemary from the fridge, gave it a twist, swirled it in the glass and left it as a garnish. The gin sonic experience turned lush, and complex. This is my kind of 3 ingredient cocktail: lemongrass shochu, soda, and fresh rosemary. No idea what to call it yet, but I will ponder that a bit longer.
True story: I did name one of the early Mizu Shochu cocktails featured by the Mizu team. The Mizu Q (a play on moro-kyu – cucumber sticks with miso moromi), which was Mizu Saga Barley Shochu, soda, and fresh cucumber wheels. Another summer refresher.
