Brand: Taiso
Distillery: Ikinokura Shuzo Co, Ltd.
Location: Iki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan
Grain: 67% barley (mugi), 33% rice (kome)
Koji: white (shiro) on rice
Distillation: atmospheric (joatsu)
Alcohol: 25% (50 proof)
Price: $$$
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
Taiso, a relative newcomer to the US market, is a traditional barley shochu in the Iki Island style. Iki shochu is always made with a 2:1 ratio of barley to rice koji. In the case of Taiso, white koji is used in the fermentation and it is then atmospherically distilled. It packs a robust smoky, but traditional Iki Island punch which pairs well with meals. It has a slightly less buttery mouthfeel than fellow Iki shochu Yamanomori but nonetheless a full bodied somewhat roasted flavor. Taiso’s traditional taste comes from using high quality natural spring water from the lush green hills surrounding the distillery and it is further bamboo charcoal charcoal filtered.
In comparison to Yamanomori and Ark Jakuunbaku (another barley shochu with a rich, unique flavor), Taiso seems to be a better match with smoked foods and robata style meals. The nose is stronger than Yamanomori’s and it lacks the sweet dark chocolate undertones of Ark Jakuunbaku.
The Verdict: Recommended
Taiso has a unique, complex flavor worth savoring and somewhat different from most other barley shochu available internationally. It can be served on the rocks (rokku), with a cold water mix (mizwari), with hot water (oyuwari), or with a green tea mix (ochawari). My preferred style being served on the rocks while Stephen and Christopher prefer it oyuwari. If you like the aforementioned Yamanomori and Ark Jakuunbaku, then you should seek out Taiso and experience its “ancient greatness” which Ikinokura Distillery Co. takes pride in.
KANPAI!
