Name: 夏の小牧 Natsu no Komaki

Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shchū
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%

In the bottle: You are treated to a nice and clean potato shochu nose, with all the flavors you expect for a summer shochu (i.e, not heavy and sweet). At first Natsu no Komaki starts off with a fresh, well balanced sweetness that has hints of vanilla and fruit (if I close my eyes I can easily imagine watermelon) which really adds to the summer shochu appeal. Overall, this is exactly what you are looking for when you open a bottle on a hot and humid summer night.    

On the rocks: On the first sip, Natus no Komaki strikes the perfect balance of fresh sweet potato and subtle sweetness to make this something you can easily drink all night. However, this easy drinkability does come with a cost, once the ice melts, the flavors really fade to the back, you can still catch enough to enjoy, but there is not much left. I had much better results with my stone cubes which really helped to maintain the richness of the sweet potato and let some of the earthier notes come through. The finish carries through some of the vanilla and fruit found on the nose; unfortunately, nothing sticks around very long, which I suppose pulls you to the next sip. 

Straight: Almost too smooth, while certainly more impactful on the sweet potato notes, there is not enough here to make it enjoyable; which in reality should comes as no surprise since most would want to drink this on-the-rocks. The finish is quite nice and definitely sticks around a bit longer than on-the-rocks, especially the sweetness which ebbs and flows quite nicely.

Reflections on this shōchū

• Last summer I tried a couple summer shochu and overall they were quite good, this year due to work, the summer kind of snuck up on me and was nearly done 

• This was a pricy bottle but worth every yen, it you are looking for a special occasion bottle or something to give as a special give, do yourself a favor and pick this bottle up.

• I know very little about this distillery and it is clear I need to learn more and find out what else they offer, just need to clear some room on the shelf for more bottles.