Distillery: 宝酒造 Takara Shuzo
Address: 609 Takenaka-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi
Website: https://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/
Additional Content: Takara Shuzo has a very active channel on youtube with lots of commercials and other related content, worth checking out if you are interested in that sort of thing.
Name: 一刻者〈石蔵甕貯蔵〉Ikkomon (Stored in a Stone Jar)
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 黄金千貫 Golden Sengan
Ingredients:
-
さつま芋(南九州産) Sweet Potato
-
芋麹 Potato Koji
Alcohol: 25%
In the bottle: Overall the nose is quite subtle with the potato taking a back seat to a range of earthy notes; mostly hay and clay. While the alcohol percentage is not too high, there is definitely a slight ting of alcohol at the end that has a light sourness whichs adds a little complexity to this shōchū.
On the rocks: The clay earthy notes really shine in the first wave, which are sharp at first before speaking evenly across the tongue; finally giving way to a light sweetness that cuts through at the end. The quinque sweet potato koji leaves a prickly sensation at the back of the throat and tongue that reminds me of black pepper, which seems common with this type of shōchū.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: I really enjoyed this with a little water, as it knocks down the sharpness and lets that light sweetness shine without being overshadowed by the stronger notes. The prickly black pepper hits much softer which I kind of missed.
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
-
Similar to the last bottle I tried made with potato koji (吉助 Kichisuke from Kirishima Distillery), my enjoyment of this depended on the day, certain days I really enjoyed this and some days I just did not.
-
There is a nice retro vibe with the bottle shape and the clean look of the overall package, certainly looks nice on the shelf.
-
You can find this shochu at most stores in Japan and on the menu at many izakaya and chain restaurants, so many chances to try before you buy a bottle.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
