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Awamori

Shochu Pros Shochu’sday #38: Awamori Brings the Funk

February 9, 2021 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Shochu Pros Shochu’sday #38: Awamori Brings the Funk

February 9 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Stephen and Christopher talk the wide variety of flavors and aromas that can be expressed through rice distillates and we taste one of the wilder awamori brands on earth – awamori funk is a thing. Should be a fun one. As always on Christopher’s instagram.

Kanpai!

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Tagged With: Awamori

Shochu Pros – Shochu’sday

June 10, 2020 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Shochu Pros – Shochu’sdayEvery week Stephen Lyman & Christopher Pellegrini are coming to you live from Japan via Instagram Live for Shochu Pros Instagram TV. For each episode (weather permitting) one host will be "on location" somewhere interesting. The on-location host will give some backstory about the location and then the discussion will kick off. Once the topical discussion is finished, we will open the floor for questions from the live viewers. You can join through Christopher's instagram (or Stephen's when he is the host).

Tagged With: Awamori, instagram tv, sg club, sg shochu, shochu, shochu pros

The Mystery Awamori

May 19, 2020 by Stephen Leave a Comment

The Mystery AwamoriWhen I moved to Japan one of my hopes was to start secondary aging Okinawan awamori at home. While it is nearly impossible to source these ceramic pots in the US, it is not that difficult in Japan so long as you are willing to pay. These are typically reserved for long-aged, or kusu awamori (古酒泡盛), which can run hundreds of dollars per liter especially in the traditional decorative ceramic jars, or "kame" (甕).

Filed Under: awamori, Shochu Tagged With: aging pot, Awamori, Kusu Awamori, Okinawa

KANPAI.US 2.0

May 9, 2020 by Stephen Leave a Comment

KANPAI.US 2.0In this new and improved version of our website we are going to get lots of new shochu and awamori information up very soon with new writers including some certified shochu advisors from around the world.

Filed Under: Shochu Tagged With: Awamori, Christopher Pellegrini, kampai, kanpai, shochu, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, The Shochu Handbook

The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks!

October 9, 2019 by Stephen Leave a Comment

The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks!Stephen Lyman has written the Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, which was published in October by Tuttle. Find out more abou the book, where to buy it, and most importantly, where to meet Stephen to get your own signed copy as he travels Japan and North America.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: Awamori, beer, book, book signing, book tour, cocktails, craft beer, craft spirits, japanese alcohol, japanese drinks, plume wine, sake, shochu, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, umeshu, whiskey, whisky, wine

Podcast: Obsessed with Shochu?

November 27, 2015 by Stephen 2 Comments

Podcast: Obsessed with Shochu?On Monday, November 23, 2015, I had the distinct pleasure of appearing on the Japan Eats radio show with host Akiko Katayama on the Heritage Radio Network. If you're not familiar with Akiko's show, it's a beautiful exploration of Japanese food and beverage in an easily accessible format through interview with local New York chefs, restaurant owners, and experts in a variety of areas.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: aged shochu, Awamori, barley, imo, kome, Kumamoto, kuro koji, mugi, Nagasaki, Okinawa, rice, shochu, sweet potato, Yamato Zakura

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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

The SG Shochu Cocktail Recipes

Bartender Shingo Gokan mixes a cocktail.
The 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.

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!

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.

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