Distillery: 中村酒造場 Nakamura Shuzōjō
Address: 915 Kokubuminato, Kirishima, Kagoshima 899-4315
Additional Content: Short introduction video, has some interesting content and worth watching if you have a few minutes.
Name: なかむら 穣 Nakamura Jyō
Type: 芋焼酎 原酒 Potato shōchū Genshu
Potato: さつまいも（鹿児島産）Satsuma (Kagoshima)
Ingredients:
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さつまいも（鹿児島産）Satsuma (Kagoshima)
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白麹（国産）Whte Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 37%
Enjoy Straight or on-the-rocks
In the bottle: As soon as you open the bottle there is a beautiful sweet potato that comes pouring out along with some soft vanilla and toasted rice to tie it all together. For 37% this is much smoother than you would think, even if you give this a deep inhale you still are hard pressed to get much of the alcohol. As this opens up a bit, you can also find some earthy notes and some wet hay, overall what is on the nose is quite a contrast to what you find in the bottle.
On the rocks: The ice needs to melt a bit, but once it does, Nakamura Jyō gives you a pure sweet potato ride that is full of bright potato and thick and sweet, well, sweet potato; this is truly an interesting balance. As a genshu, this is a bit thicker than stepped down shochu, which plays a big part in the heavier mouthfeel; however, the benefit of this is that it causes you to take smaller sips and gives you the opportunity to role around a bit to enjoy all this beautiful shochu has to offer. The finish is also quite nice, as the softer vanilla and cocoa flavors have a chance to breath which really adds to the drinkability of this bottle of Nakamura.
Straight: Absolutely intense, the sweet potato flavors hit full force and almost overwhelm the senses; luckily once you adjust you are treated something magical. As that initial sharpness fades and the pure sweet potato flavors fade a bit, you end up with some really nice floral notes of lavender and honeysuckle that really carry through on the finish. Speaking of the finish, the higher alcohol content (37%) does a great job in breathing some air into the softer notes of cocoa and vanilla that get lost up front.
Reflections on this shōchū
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I first tried Nakamura shochu in Kagoshima at 鹿児島焼酎Bar 鹿 ROKU which was great, so went to the bottle shop before heading back to Hiroshima and the staff suggested this bottle of Genshu which was absolutely amazing.
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This bottle of Nakamura is absolutely intense and can really be enjoyed both on-the-rocks and neat in the glass, just be careful not to overdue it, that 37% alcohol can really sneak up on you.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Name: なかむら Nakamura
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: さつまいも（鹿児島産）Satsuma (Kagoshima)
Ingredients:
-
さつまいも（鹿児島産）Satsuma (Kagoshima)
-
米麹（国産）Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 25%
Enjoy Straight or on-the-rocks
In the bottle: Nakamura is slightly fragrant at the start with fair bit of sweet potato, dried fruit (apricots) and soft earthy notes being the most present. If you give a real deep sniff, there is a really pleasant freshness that comes out that has a subtle sharpness to it which works well to balance some of the initial sweeter vapours. Overall, there is nothing that is over powering; however, what is there is well balanced and inviting.
On the rocks: At first what hits the tongue starts off fresh, light and smooth before letting the sweeter side of this spill over and dominate; certainly not sticky sweet but clearly the main character. Nakamura works really well on the rocks, as the melts, the sweetness takes a bit of a back seat and allows more the sweet potato to really open up which provides a really welcome balance and increased drinkability. This is a perfect Izakaya or yakitori shochu, as the freshness and sweetness match well with more salty foods and snacks, especially if enjoying more than one glass.
Straight: A bit warm going down at first but overall, Nakamura is really smooth and very drinkable neat in the glass. to start, there is a nice bit of sweet potato that comes across a bit fresh, dry and tart which is interestings as the finish here flows with a sweeter vibe to it. After a few sips, the sweeter notes started to develop a bit more, with some subtle vanila, caramel and dried fruit rising to the top. In general, this is worth giving a taste if you pick up a bottle.
Paired with Chocolate: Kaldi 70% chocolate, another great pairing, the chocolate takes on a rich, velvety texture with becomes much more intense, additionally, the typical cherry chocolate liqueur flavors run deep and make this well worth giving a try.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Given the positive experience I had with my first bottle of Nakamura, I decided to pick this one up when it made its way to my local bottle shop.
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I think I paid around 1900 JPY for this bottle which puts this in the mid-range for shochu, inht general this was worth the price of admission, and would make a great bottle to open on a hot summer BBQ night.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
