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whiskey

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

Kakushigura Whiskey Shochu

April 3, 2012 by Stephen 2 Comments

Kakushigura Whiskey ShochuOak barrel aging has become a popular process as shochu producers experiment with different aging techniques to give their shochus unique flavor profiles. Kannoko and Ginza no Suzume Kohaku have full flavored profiles thanks to this aging process and are popular mugi shochus, particularly among whiskey drinkers. Kakushigura uses this process as well, but with a slightly different approach.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: aged shochu, atmospheric distillation, barley, Kakushigura, mugi, oak barrels, review, shiro koji, shochu, whiskey, white koji

Kannoko

January 12, 2012 by Stephen 8 Comments

KannokoKannoko is a single distilled normal pressure mugi shochu aged in oak barrels for 3 years before bottling. The oak gives the shochu its rich golden color and its faintly whiskey flavor. This is one of those aged mugis that whiskey drinkers will find familiar.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: aged shochu, barley, bourbon, Japansch Zaky, Kagoshima, Kannoko, mugi, oak barrels, review, shiro koji, shochu, whiskey, whisky, white koji

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Shochu Reviews

iichiko Saiten

After winning some awards on the international spirits circuit (including double-gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition), there's ample evidence that iichiko Saiten deserves serious consideration by bartenders everywhere.

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 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.

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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