genshu

Kitaya Shizuku Nama-Genshu

March 31, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

I don't drink a lot of sake (nihon-shu), but when I do I tend to stumble into some amazing flavors and mouthfeels. Sake intimidates me the way French wines intimidate me. There are just too many things to learn about this delicious rice based drink. It can also get pretty spendy compared to shochu where the most expensive bottle currently imported to the U.S. will cost around $125 in a restaurant.

Monday Pick-Me-Up

March 19, 2012 by Stephen 2 Comments

No, there's nothing wrong with your monitor or my camera's white balance. The bottle on the left, Satsuma Otome, is a lovely pink shade that looks as if heavier pink liquid has settled toward the bottom of the bottle. This light (20% ABV) sweet potato shochu is squarely targeted at the burgeoning female shochu drinkers market. It's a lovely bottle and unlike anything I've seen here in the states with gender-specific marketing of shochu.

2 days, 16 producers, 42 spirits

February 27, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

The Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) & the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Association (JSS) put on a pair of stellar events in New York City on February 12th & 13th. We've already raved about Shochu Night Out, but the next day (Monday, February 13th) was Experience Shochu at Astor Wines.

Kinzangura

February 25, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

I really wish I had a better photo and more information about this delicious genshu imo shochu. The best we can come up with is that it is possibly called Kinzangura. It may be a special edition of their products since this particular JDM bottle does not appear anywhere on the distiller's website.