The First M
I’m beginning my exploration of “The Thee M’s” with Maou. For those unfamiliar, the 3 M’s are the 3 most famous shochu brands in Japan. They are, Maou, Mori Izo, and Muraou, and I’m going to tackle them in this order.
Maou
Day 5: The Devil Behind the Bar
We duck into a local sushi-ya filled with older locals smoking cigarettes and enjoying their evening. A couple at the other end of the bar drink Iki shochu, a guy eating alone drinks beer from the bottle, and two women sitting next to us drink nihon-shu from a carafe before switching to shochu later in the meal.
Otsu
Sometimes it is best to rely on good luck than preparation. On our third night in Fukuoka, after visiting Kitaya Shuzo & Nishi Yoshida during the day, we met up with Seikai's friends from school for dinner at an organ meat izakaya (story on that experience coming soon). Afterward a few of us decided to have one more drink - shochu of course.
Not Supposed to Pick Favorites
Obviously, as lovers of shochu and Awamori, we are enthusiastic about this entire class of spirits, not any particular brand or style. However, a strange thing happened on our recent trip to Japan. Seikai & I discovered a shochu that we both agree is far and away the most delicious shochu we've ever experienced. Among the 250+ shochu and Awamori we tried on the trip (in addition to the 120 or so available in the US), one stood out among the rest.
Operation Maou
It is important to have singleness of purpose. One clear goal. An achievable, yet worthy objective. But for our upcoming trip to Japan, I’ve felt more than a little overwhelmed with potential avenues to explore: neighborhoods, cuisines, izakayas, shochus, craft beers. Really, so much to explore in a relatively short visit that the prospect is almost overwhelming.
Now, thanks to a tip from @AussieinJapan, we will have one primary aim. To find and drink Maou (魔王 焼酎), which he describes as “the King of Shochus.”
It’s not available in the U.S. Maybe we can change that. If it is as good as he claims, I have a feeling there will be a bottle or three coming home with me.… Read More “Operation Maou”