Distillery: 室町酒造 Muromachi Shuzō
Address: 1342-1 Nishinaka, Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture, 709-0835
Website: https://sakuramuromachi.co.jp/
Additional Content: Interesting video going behind the scenes, worth checking out if you have the 17 minutes
Name: 1983年醸造 室町 1983 Muromachi
Type: 米焼酎 Rice shōchū
常圧蒸留: 減圧蒸留 (Vacuum Distillation)
Ingredients:
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米（雄町米）Rice (Omachimai)
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米麹(国産米) Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 35%
In the bottle: Smooth, rich and delicious with a strong mature burnt caramel that pours out of the bottle like it has been waiting since 1983 to make an appearance. The nose on Muromachi is really quite intoxicating, especially in how rich and complex this comes across before even having a chance to enjoy the first sip. Once you get around the burnt caramel, there is a really nice earthy funk that spreads out as you get a bit of oxygen in there giving a true sense of 42 years. Overall, absolutely amazing, no more typing, now time to enjoy.
On the rocks: Absolutely amazing, the vanilla, custard and burnt caramel notes are complete off-the-charts. The way these flavors come pouring through with such intensity it is hard to imagine this bottle is 42 years old; however, where this does show its age is the maturity on these flavors, which is quite unlike anything I have had before, aside from another bottle of rice shochu that was more than 30-years old. Overall, Muromachi on the rocks is a great way to enjoy this unique bottle that has been waiting a long time to be enjoyed.
Straight: Smooth and silky, Muromachi is very drinkable neat in the glass and really sips like an after dinner drink with its sweet caramel and custardy vanilla notes taking center stage and never letting up. The finish is really nice here as well as this sticks around for a while with the 35% alcohol doing a good job of carrying some beautiful earthiness along until the end.
Paired with dark chocolate: Tony's 70% dark chocolate. I knew even before I tried this that it would be amazing and Muromachi did not disappoint in the least. The chocolate is divine and the shochu adds a beautiful earthy vanilla that just expands everything beyond your expectations; it almost feels like this pairing unlocks something hidden inside both the chocolate and the shochu. Simply amazing.
Enjoy Straight or On-the-rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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I traded in some miles on JAL a few years ago and after sitting on the shelf I finally opened up and experienced what was inside. For a bottle of this age, you are really enjoying history as well as a shochu that emerges from its long nap as something truly to be appreciated and enjoyed sip by sip.
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Found out this distillery is only 2hrs from my house by car, road trip coming soon to visit and to pick up a few more bottles. They show this on their online store for only 5500 JPY which is beyond a steal.
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Road Trip done, with lots of new bottles to try
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Top & Tag
Name: ぼっけえ武 Bokke Musashi
Type: 米・酒粕焼酎 Rice / Sake Kasu Shōchū
常圧蒸留: 単式蒸留 (Pot Distillation)
Ingredients:
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米（雄町米）Rice (Omachimai)
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酒粕(室町酒) Sake Kasu (Muromachi)
Alcohol: 25%
In the bottle: Incredibly fragrant and smooth with strong hits of fruit mostly leaning on fresh cherry almost like a cherry tobacco, behind this you can find a bit of syrupy fruit and lychee. At first this feels like it should be a bit on the sweet but this is not the case at all, and overall there is a nice dryness to the flavors that do rise to the surface giving a slight earthiness to the overall vibe. Bokke Musashi delivers an interesting contrast between fruity and earthy which creates a lot of anticipation for what will be in the glass.
On the rocks: The cherry notes here are some of the most pronounced I have ever seen, not sweet but quite dry and incredibly smooth. With a little dilutions from the melting ice, there is a bit of a savoriness (for a lack of better description) that starts to rise to the surface, very funky and very earthy, Bokke Musashi feels like it would pair well with or be well used in a bit of mushroom cream sauce with beef or pork. After letting this sit a bit longer, the earthiness fades to the back and a subtle sweetness starts to intertwine with the dry cherry to give this a nice bit of character and complexity.
Straight: Smooth almost does not begin to describe Bokke Musashi, almost nothing sticks out as heavy and a lot of what was on the nose comes through really well including a bit of chocolate that leans into both the fruitiness and the earthiness in a beautiful balance. The finish here also offers some interesting notes of cherry tobacco that ebbs and flows between a slightly sharp pepperness that ties everything together.
Paired with dark chocolate: Cafe Tasse 60% dark chocolate. The dryness of the cherry dramatically expands to cacao and gives a very familiar dark cherry chocolate tart vibe which is really amazing. While not the best chocolate, overall it pairs quite well with the Bokke Musashi and hits checks most of the boxes that make this a good match.
Enjoy Straight or On-the-rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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Bokke Musashi is a distinctive sweet potato shōchū that thrives on contrast—vibrant dry cherry/fruit forward, grounded by earthy funk and subtle chocolate-pepper layers. It feels both fresh and mature, with exceptional smoothness and versatility across neat and on-the-rocks service.
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A standout for those who enjoy aromatic, unconventional imo shōchū that balance fruit, earth, and spice without excess sweetness. Highly enjoyable and memorable—one of those bottles that lingers in the mind long after the glass is empty.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Top & Tag
Name: 幸運しろは Kōun Shiroha
Type: 米ハトムギ焼酎 Rice/Wheat Shōchū
常圧蒸留: 単式蒸留 (Pot Distillation)
Ingredients:
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米(国産) Rice (Domestic)
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ハトムギ Wheat
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酒粕 Sake Lees
Alcohol: 25%
In the bottle: The fragrance out of the bottle is a beautiful bouquet of sake notes, peach, lychee, and a bit of syrupy fruits are the main stars. There is almost a slight perfume in the background, very soft but adding an interesting backing. After getting a bit more oxygen in the bottle, you can start to get light barley accents that form around the edges—certainly not up front but they do start to make an appearance. Right from the start, Kōun Shiroha builds great anticipation for what will be in the glass, especially considering the combination of rice, barley, and sake lees, which sounds like a match made in heaven.
On the rocks: Another absolute standout bottle from Muromachi Shuzō. The combination of rice and sake lees on the front end gives a mature sake side, while you get some interesting barley notes on the back end which pull everything together with a subtle sharpness. The sake is as you would expect—like on the nose, peach and a hint of candied vanilla. The barley makes itself known mostly toward the finish. While not nearly as up front as the sake, what is there presents itself as a bit of earthy grain mixed with dried fruits—incredibly enjoyable. As the ice melts a bit, the sake side mellows slightly, allowing the barley to become a bit more prominent, especially on the finish.
Straight: Smooth is an understatement; however, what comes after is a bit of a mixed bag. First of all the good: aside from the silky start, there is a nuanced sweetness that is interestingly floral with a hint of that perfume-like note found on the nose. Both combine for an interesting experience. The not-so-great part is the short finish that goes a bit funky at the end. Overall, it is a bit hard to describe but feels like two contrasting flavor profiles competing for dominance with neither succeeding. While not a lost cause, Kōun Shiroha is not the best when served neat in the glass.
Paired with dark chocolate: Malaysian single origin dark chocolate. The initial clash between the chocolate and the shōchū is not a good one. While it does settle down a bit, it never really does much of anything to get you interested to try again. The saving point would be the finish, as the shōchū mellows and opens up the cacao a bit more, but not much other than that.
Enjoy On-the-rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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Bokke Mu
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
