Kanpai

iichiko silhouette

iichiko seirin mugi shochu

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While iichiko silhouette is the first shochu we'd ever tried and remains a staple in introducing the uninitiated to the spirit, iichiko seirin is an even lighter mugi shochu made with the same distillation process, but cut to a lower 20% alcohol by volume with fresh spring water prior to bottling.

iichiko silhouette

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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.