Distillery: 吹上焼酎株式会社 Fukiage Shochu Co.
Address: 1806 Kasedamiyahara, Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima 897-1124
Website: http://www.fukiage.co.jp/
Additional Content: Not much from the distillery itself, but there is an interview that gives some nice information on what they are doing
Name: 吹上デコ Fukiage Deco
Type: 芋焼酎 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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米麹 Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 36%
Enjoy straight or
on-the-rocks
In the bottle: Soft and subtle lavender followed by some purfume-esk notes, overall very floral with a very light sweetness that comes in at the end. As this opens up a bit, you get a little more sweet potato and a bit more sweetness; considering the relatively high alcohol content Fukiage Deco is incredibly neutral
On the rocks: The first sip is an amazing array of richness, sweetness and somehow, freshness; at first it feels like this should be heavy in the mouth but, as soon as the rich, sweet notes hit, it comes light and fresh. The floral flavors really come through near the finish, which really adds to the fresh feeling as well as balances out the initial sweetness. As the ice melts the sweetness of the sweet potato and lavender really start to take hold giving Fukiage Deco a bit more depth in flavor and increasing its drinkability, especially if you want more than one glass.
Straight: Now that is something to enjoy, Fukiage Deco has a silky smooth richness that comes across as fresh & light and just drinks so easily. This is mainly due to the fact that everything hits so evenly, sweet potato up front, followed by the floral notes that hit a bit sharper; the higher alcohol content really helps to carry these flavors into a beautiful finish that stays around for a while. Overall, this was a great pick up and suggestion by a small shop in Kagoshima.
Community Tasting Submission: This shochu really flowers in the mouth. Whether it's the higher at alcohol (around 35%) or something else in the production process I don't know, but the tanegashima Anno sweet potatoe flavour beautifully transforms. When swirled in the glass, the tears were quite long for a shochu so the alcohol content could be key. It's a ridiculously hot summer in Japan this year, so I had this on the rocks. Fukiage has a a mild but fairly floral smell for a potatoe shochu. On tasting, those were the two things that stick with me about Fukiage Deco; a soft, full mouth feel that attacks and deepens quickly, and the flavour transforming to lighter floral melodies. On the rocks as the ice melted, the one-two was little less distinct but the longer arc of the flavours development was its own delight. Another great shochu with a flavour landscape that taught me more about how to enjoy a good drop.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Picked this bottle up at a small shop in Kagoshima, [Yamamoto Saketen] near the Sheraton, the staff were really nice and we went around and around in the small shop talking about different bottles and this was one of the bottles suggested.
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More and more, I realized that I should have also been enjoying shochu neat in the glass, with a good scotch or whiskey this is my normal but for shochu, I just kind of ignored this a bit and should have been paying more attention to this.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Cap Label
Name: 天使の秘蔵酒 Tenshin no Hizoshu 12-yr
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū aged in oak for 12 years
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)
-
米麹 Rice Koji (Thailand)
Alcohol: 27%
Enjoy straight or
on-the-rocks
In the bottle: Warm and inviting is the first thing that comes to mind, the oak has a beautiful freshness that is underpinned by blend of vanilla, milk caramel and a bit of sweet potato on the back end, all of which tie this together creating a lot of anticipation for the first sip. 12-years in oak really imparts a lot of flavor and while it is a bit hard to find the sweet potato, it is there, albeit a bit hidden behind all that oak which is clearly the star of the show here.
On the rocks: As soon as this hits the tongue, you are treated to something really amazing, especially if you like oak-aged shochu. To start, Tenshin no Hizoshu is creamy with a blast of oak, vanilla, cream soda (birch beer if you grew in New England) and a bit of chocolate on the back end. Those 12 years in oak imparted a beautiful range flavor notes that are perfectly balanced and super smooth; however, the sweet potato here is a bit hard to pick up and certainly takes a back seat, and that is OK, because what is here is exceptional. Overall this works really well on-the-rocks; as the ice melts, the oak comes forward a bit more and opens up a more mature vanilla flavor that carries through to the end. The finish here is also really enjoyable as the the oak, mature vanilla and subtle sweetness stick around for a while; I would like to try a genshu version of this shochu.
Straight: Pure oak up front to start, which at first, almost feels like all there is; however, after the initial wash you still find the sweet potato on the back end which really ties this whole experience together. Overall Tenshin no Hizoshu this is incredibly drinkable neat in the glass, it's just so smooth and full of vanilla, chocolate, and dried fruit that carry well into the finish.
Paired with Chocolate: Kaldi 70% chocolate, maybe not the best pairing; however, still worth trying as the oak and vanilla work well with the chocolate and add a nice dept of flavor once the initial intensity ramps down a bit. I think I enjoyed the finish the most as the chocolate blends with the mature vanilla notes giving this a great after dinner feel.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Picked this bottle up at small shop just pas the ferry terminal on Sakurajima, I wanted to pick up a bottle of Sakurajima shochu but they only had large bottles and I had no room in my backpack. This was a very lucky find and one I wish I could have picked up 2 of since it seems to ver a bit on the rare side.
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Unfortunately, this was a time where the label won, really challenging to get this one, too bad, it was a nice label.
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For fans of oak-aged shochu, this one is a big winner, at first the sweet potato was a bit hard to find but once you catch it, it really comes through quite nicely. If you can find a bottle, do not hesitate to pick it up.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Bottle Label
