• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kanpai

Find us on Facebook Find us on Twitter Find us on Instagram
  • Shochu
    • What is Shochu?
    • How to Drink Shochu
    • The Shochu Diet
    • Shochu Tasting Notes
      • Awamori
      • sweet potato shochu reviews
      • mugi (barley)
      • rice shochu reviews
      • Aromatic Shochu Reviews
  • Izakaya
    • What is an Izakaya?
    • Izakaya Cuisine
  • How to Izakaya
  • Events
  • About Us

mugi (barley)

Mugi shochu tends to be among the most popular shochu styles in the United States. The smooth, balanced flavor is pleasant and easily drinkable. It’s good for mixing into cocktails or drinking on the rocks. Some barley shochu can be more flavorful, but many are just easy drinking.

When we first began exploring shochu a few years ago, our first introduction was iichiko silhouette, which was also the first shochu we reviewed for this site (out of nostalgia).

Without further explanation (see individual notes below), here are our compiled barley shochu reviews.

Kanpai!

EXCEPTIONAL: 

iichiko Kurobin – an elegant blended 100% barley shochu from those master blenders at Sanwa Shurui.

Kintaro A roasted barley shochu with depth and breadth and a beautiful nose.

Nakanaka A full bodied barley shochu with pleasant aromas and flavors of chocolate.

Tenpai An aromatic, richly flavored mugi aged in ceramic jars. Nutty, yeasty with hints of macadamia nuts and vanilla.

Yamanomori Rich, earthy, full bodied traditionally distilled mugi shochu.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: 

Kougin No Sasayaki A high-proof barley shochu with light, round flavors.

Mizunomai A high proof barley shochu that’s richly complex with lovely packaging.

Tsukushi Kuro A full bodied 100% mugi shochu. Delicate roasted flavors.

Tsukushi Shiro A full bodied mugi aged in ceramic pots that remains surprisingly drinkable despite the robust flavors.

Window’s Migaki A barley shochu aged in virgin oak barrels. Delicious.

RECOMMENDED:

Daigano Ideki A light whiskey barrel aged mugi with hints of tree sap and molasses.

Ginza no Suzume Kohaku  A complex mugi, aged in bourbon barrels. Delicious!

iichiko silhouette Still one of our favorites. We may be biased, but we think this is the perfect starter shochu.

Kakushigura An oak aged mugi with a drier, woodier flavor profile than the other barrel aged mugi shochus.

Kannoko An oaked mugi aged 3 years. Should be a favorite among whiskey drinkers.

WORTH DRINKING: 

Akaoni A straightforward mugi. Sweet, mellow, refreshing.

iichiko seirin An even lighter version of silhouette with just 20% ABV.

Ginza No Suzume Kuro Koji A full flavored black koji barley shochu. Not for the faint of heart.

Tombo A full flavored mugi at a korui shochu price. Globalization comes to shochu production.

Yokaichi Mugi A smooth, drinkable mugi. No surprises. One of the best bargains on the market.

COCKTAILS!

Juhyo Special Suntory Habanero Infusion!  This is actually a korui shochu, which gives it a much more neutral, alcoholic flavor than the honkaku shochus.

Barley photo credit.

Primary Sidebar

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Shochu Reviews

iichiko Kurobin

My personal favorite iichiko brand available in the US is iichiko Kurobin. Kurobin is literally translated as "black bottle," which is a pretty on the nose description of this evocative packaging. It is simply too pretty to throw away after finishing.

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.

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.

Shochu Reviews

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.

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.

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework