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Kanpai

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kokuto shochu reviews

Kokuto shochu is made from kokuto. Kokuto is a type of unrefined dark sugar that is made by pulping sugar cane and then boiling the juice for hours until it dries into blocks. Nutrient rich and more delicious than any brown sugar you have ever tried in the US, kokuto’s closest cousin may be muscovado.

kokuto sugar
raw kokuto sugar in a shochu distillery.

Kokuto shochu can only legally be made in the Amami Islands between Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa. There are 28 distilleries producing products under 18 different brand portfolios. Ten smaller distilleries work together to make a single portfolio rather than trying to compete against the larger suppliers on the islands.

Most of the distilleries are on the main island of Amami, but shochu is also made on 4 other of the 8 inhabited Amami Islands. These islands used to be part of the Ryukyu Kingdom (modern day Okinawa), but were invaded and captured by the Satsuma Domain in the early 1600s and have remained part of Japan ever since. Today they are considered part of Kagoshima Prefecture, which is the modern name for most of the Satsuma Domain.

Under Japanese regulations, shochu made from kokuto must use koji rice in the first fermentation. Kokuto sugar is then added to the second fermentation. While alcohol can be made with sugar alone, the use of koji rice adds a depth of flavor often missing from rum (the most popular spirit made from sugar cane).

We hope to have many more kokuto shochu reviews available soon.

assorted kokuto shochu
Assorted Amami Island shochu.

Exceptional

Kikaijima Kurochu An aged kokuto sugar shochu with a rich, luscious complexity.

Recommended

Amami A rich, tasty kokuto sugar shochu from the Amami islands.

Jougo A lovely kokuto sugar shochu. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in flavor.

KANPAI!

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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

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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.

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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!

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu IMO

The 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.

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