Japanese Shochu

Shochu is a distilled spirit and is becoming increasingly popular globally, similar to sake.

This bottling is made by craft distiller Ookubo Shuzo in Kagoshima, Japan, and is their flagship product. It is made from baked sweet potato (Yaki Imo) and black rice malt. It has a full-bodied aroma of sweet potato, which also comes through on the palate. Very balanced, it showcases the underlying ingredient of baked sweet potato perfectly, with a delicate presence of dark chocolate in the finish. Awarded the HKIWSC Silver in 2018 and 2019.

Made with a variety of sweet potato including the “Genji-imo” variety, combined with a special breed of rice from the Samurai era. From 7 grams of rice seeds, it’s been bred for the first time in 154 years.

Slightly sweet, floral, crisp, and delicately spicy palate with a deep umami aroma and a complexity that lingers. Yet it remains very gentle, easy to drink, and can be enjoyed straight or on the rocks. We also recommend Oyuwari (with hot water), which enhances the aroma and flavors. Pairs perfectly with fried fish and meat, spicy food, and even some sweet desserts.

Awarded HKIWSC Silver 2018, HKIWSC Bronze 2019, and Los Angeles International Spirits Competition 2018 Silver. Read more about this Shochu here.

Using locally grown barley from Kitsuki City, Oita, Japan, and distilled under atmospheric pressure. Smooth yet very balanced flavors with cereal and malty notes, reminiscent of fresh dough as if you were in a bakery, combined with hints of pear and dark chocolate at the finish. Perfect as a Shochu Highball, it pairs particularly well with seafood and tempura. Please click here to learn more.

Shochu is a distilled spirit and increasingly popular globally, similar to Sake. 

This bottling is made by craft distiller Ookubo Shuzo in Kagoshima Japan and was a special bottling for the Tohoku Project made using 2 different sweet potato varieties (Baked Tama Akane and Kogane Sengan) and Ki-Kome Koji (Hitomebore from Miyagi Prefecture) and distilled under atmospheric pressure. 

A Honkaku Shochu, the fruitiness is reminiscent of the tropical and citrus fruits derived from Tamaakane, and the pure richness of Kogane Sengan brought together by the special Koji. The roasted sweet potato gives a richer aroma rounded off by the Hitomebore Koji

Recommended way to Drink: While there are many ways to enjoy it we would suggest (i) on the rocks or (ii) with some sparkling soda water to showcase the refreshing fruity flavor or (iii) even with hot water. 

THE HACHI SHOCHU, Sweet Potato (Imo), Cask Matured is a collaboration with Ookubo Shuzo,  a family owned farm distillery in Kagoshima and Hacchan who, somewhere along the way was also exposed to Whisky and the benefits of Cask Maturation. Made from Kogane Sengan, a fluffy delicious variety of sweet potato with a lovely aroma and golden skin color and single distilled under normal atmospheric pressure (making it a Honkaku Shochu) to retain the flavors of the underlying ingredient, this Batch 2 is a vatting of 90% matured for about 2 years and 10% matured for about 2 months in Virgin Oak to retain the flavour of the origin spirit while adding an extra dimension of complexity to the nose, palate and finish. 

Color: Straw, Hay, Light Gold 
Nose: Fresh fruits, moscatel, lychee, almost like a fresh sparkling white wine, cream soda and fresh mint with subtle sweetness 
Palate: Initial sweetness with fresh mint, cream soda, cereals and spices likes cloves and cardamom with a hint of oak and dark chocolate at the back.

THE HACHI SHOCHU, Sweet Potato (Imo), Cask Matured is a collaboration with Ookubo Shuzo, a family owned farm distillery in Kagoshima and Hacchan who, somewhere along the way was also exposed to Whisky and the benefits of Cask Maturation. Made from Kogane Sengan, a fluffy delicious variety of sweet potato with a lovely aroma and golden skin colour, Shiro (White) Koji and single distilled under normal atmospheric pressure (making it a Honkaku Shochu) to retain the flavors of the underlying ingredient, this Batch 3 has been matured for about 4 years and 4 months in an ex-Brandy Cask to retain the flavour of the origin spirit while adding an extra dimension of complexity to  the nose. 

Color: Deep Gold 
Nose: Sweet caramel, butterscotch, fruit cake along with some cherries, raisins along with oak spices in the back. 
Palate: An initial sweetness of candied orange, hints of caramel and toffee balanced with oak spices, a hint of oak and again peach and lychee from the sweet potato shochu coming through at the back.

THE HACHI SHOCHU, Brown Sugar (Kokuto), Cask Matured is a collaboration with Yayoi Shochu Brewery LPC, a family owned craft distillery on Amami Oshima Islands of Kagoshima and Hacchan who, somewhere along the way was also exposed to Whisky and the benefits of Cask Maturation. Made from brown sugar sourced from various producers in Okinawa and Thai Mai (Thai Rice) White Koji and single distilled under normal atmospheric pressure (making it a Honkaku Shochu) to retain the flavors of the underlying ingredient, this Batch 1 is a blend of 3-5 years Kokuto Shocho aged in refill/recharred virgin American White Oak Casks to add layers of complexity and flavour to the original spirit. 

Color: Light Straw, White Wine 
Nose: Intricate nose of sugarcane like sweetness, fresh fruits like green apples, pear and mint balanced with subtle salted caramel and some oak spices. 
Palate: Initial sweetness gently gives way to some savoury, umami like notes with a finish of pepper, spices and a hint of dark chocolate.

THE HACHI SHOCHU, Umeshu, Cask Matured is a collaboration with Ookubo Shuzo, a family owned farm distillery in Kagoshima and Hacchan, who has been singularly focused on showcasing Shochu, a hidden gem from Japan by offering a unique combination and layers of flavors overlaid on the original spirit. This Umeshu is another such example and is a combination of Koshu Yaki Imo Shochu (made from baked Kogane Sengan, a fluffy delicious variety of sweet potato with a lovely aroma and golden skin color and baked Annou Imo, a naturally sweeter variety of sweet potato with a yellow flesh and high viscosity). Kuro (Black) Koji and single distilled under normal atmospheric pressure making it a Honkaku Shochu, which has been aged for over 10 years (i.e Koshu) and some delicious Kanjuku (i.e. ripened) Nanko (refers to the variety) Ume (plum) from Kagoshima. 

Color: Gold 
Nose: Distinctive aroma of Imo Shochu, the underlying sweet potato with a hint of smoked almonds. 
Palate: Initial sourness of the Ume along with the sweetness and the syrupy texture takes us back to our childhood memories of fruit jelly snacks with the shochu in the background and a lingering fruity flavour to finish.

THE HACHI SHOCHU, Barley (Mugi), Cask Matured is a collaboration with Miroku Shuzo, a family owned craft distillery in Oita, Japan and Hacchan who, somewhere along the way was also exposed to Whisky and the benefits of Cask Maturation. Made from local barley grown in Kitsuki and Usa (both near the distillery in Oita) and single distilled under normal atmospheric pressure (making it a Honkaku Shochu) to retain the flavors of the underlying ingredient, this Batch 3 is matured for about 3-4 years in a Refill White Oak Cask to add layers of complexity and flavour to the original spirit. 

Color: Gold 
Nose: While the top notes on the nose are a mix of vanilla, honey, fresh fruits, oak spices and fresh pencil shavings, the barley (mugi) shochu rears its head as wet dough at the back with a hint of caramel candy sweetness. 
Palate: Vanilla, honey to start mixed with oak which evolves into an excellent toasted raisin bread with a fair amount of nuttiness, some smokiness and spices to finish.