Distillery: 栄川酒造 Sakaegawa Shuzō
Address: Nakasonedaira-6841-11 Sarashina, Bandai, Yama-ku, Fukushima
Website: https://www.tenkyo.jp/
Additional Content: The only thing I could find on youtube was a really old commercial for sake from Sakaegawa Shuzō, certainly fun to watch and only 15 seconds long.
Name: ゴールド秘酎 Gold Hichū
Type: 粕取り焼酎 Kasutori shōchū, aged in oak barrels for at least 1 year
蒸留方法: 単式蒸留 (Pot Distillation)
Ingredients:
-
清酒粕 Sake Lees
-
清酒 Sake
Alcohol: 30%
In the bottle: Bright sweetness hits first on the nose, followed quickly by a beautiful fresh oak fragrance that takes center stage. Hints of vanilla, cherry (cherry vanilla), and cream soda follow naturally. If you nose it long enough, subtle cracked black pepper, persimmon, and another round of more matured oak appear. Highly enjoyable overall—the aroma is clean, layered, and builds strong anticipation for the glass.
On the rocks: A great example of a shōchū where the nose translates directly and clearly to the palate. The oak is front and center, providing a solid base for the vanilla, cherry, and cream soda notes to shine through. Gold Hichū is simply a joy to drink—especially if you’re a fan of oak-aged shōchū. The balance stays excellent as the ice melts, keeping the flavors rich without becoming heavy.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1 ratio: The intensity dials back noticeably, along with the vanilla, cherry, and cream soda notes. However, the oak becomes clearer and more upfront, adding a really nice sweetness. While I prefer this on the rocks, letting the ice melt enough gives Gold Hichū another life, so definitely worth trying a few different variations.
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
-
I like how this bottle comes with a “bottle keep” tag. While I didn’t have a chance to hit an izakaya while in Fukushima, it really feels like the kind of shōchū you’d find lined up on the shelf, waiting for the regular customer to return.
-
Another great chance find recommended by the shop staff—I've been pretty lucky with suggestions like this over the past few years. It’s always nice when the person behind the counter knows their inventory well enough to point you toward something special.
-
Kasutori shōchū has quickly become one of my favorite types to enjoy, and adding oak aging takes it to another level—sublime, really. The combination of the sake-derived fruitiness and depth with the refined oak influence creates something balanced, smooth, and layered. Truly a lucky find, and I’d go so far as to call it a top-10 discovery for 2023.
-
This bottle highlights what makes kasutori so appealing: the familiar sake notes (peach, nectarine, subtle florals) in a distilled, more controlled format, plus the maturity and structure from oak aging. It drinks beautifully neat (for full richness), on the rocks (to let the oak and fruit evolve), and with light dilution (to brighten without losing character).
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
