Distillery: 西酒造 Nishi Shuzō
Address: 3142-10 Fukiagecho Yokura, Hioki, Kagoshima 899-3309
Additional Content: Nishi Distillery has its own youtube channel with a range of content related to the distillery and the production of shochu. There are some nice videos that give you a sense of the day-to-day activities at the distillery, worth checking out.
Name: 富乃宝山 Tomino Houzan
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 薩摩芋（鹿児島県産 黄金千貫）Golden Sengen from Kagoshima
Ingredients:
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薩摩芋 Sweet Potato
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米麹(黄麹) Yellow Rice Koji
Alcohol: 25%
Enjoy straight or on the rocks
In the bottle: Soft with subtle citrus notes that remind me of Japanese mikan with a hint of sweetness. These notes quickly fade to a more recognizable potato shochu scent with no hint of alcohol at all. Overall, the nose is incredibly neutral which while not super inviting, it does imbue Tomino Houzan with a clear and fresh feeling that should translate well in the glass.
On the rocks: The first taste to hit the tongue is a pleasant sweetness with a nice touch of vanilla and orange before giving way to a very smooth potato shochu flavor on the back of the tongue. Tomino Houzan strikes a delicate balance between being smooth and being too smooth, this is what led me to try this neat in the glass, and the results speak for themselves.
Straight: This is where Tomino Houzan really shines, beautifully smooth and delicate which works much better without ice, the sweetness and pure potato shochu flavors are front and center. The alcohol does not get in the way at all, which makes this the best way to enjoy.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: This shochu is just too delicate, once mixed with water, it is almost like drinking water
2:3 ratio: Not applicable
Reflections on this shōchū
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I almost always drink shōchū on the rocks, just as my preference, however this is one of the first bottles to really push me to try it straight, and I only wish I hadn't waited until the bottle was almost empty.
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A high-quality shōchū at an upper-range price point makes this a questionable purchase, that being said, I do not regret buying this bottle as it opened me up to enjoying shōchū in ways other than on the rocks.
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This is the second bottle I have purchased from the duty free in Fukuoka and both have been very subtle in flavor but not lacking in quality.
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On the rocks, this is a very dangerous shōchū as it goes down literally like water, especially as the ice melts and the base flavors lose their punch.
Bottle label and Information
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Back Label
Cap Label
Name: 吉兆宝山 Kicchou Houzan
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 薩摩芋（鹿児島県産 黄金千貫）Golden Sengen from Kagoshima
Ingredients:
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薩摩芋 Sweet Potato
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米麹(黒麹) Black Rice Koji
Alcohol: 25%
Enjoy straight or on the rocks
In the bottle: Very similar to Tomino Houzan, there is a hint of fresh fruit, like honeydew mixed with soft citrus fragrance that mellow nicely into more recognizable potato shochu notes. As with Thomino Houzan, there is almost no hint of alcohol to get in the way of the subtle but refined shochu in the bottle.
On the rocks: Exceptionally smooth, there is a crisp initial sharpness that gives way nicely to a light sweetness that is perfectly balanced; not too heavy and not too sweet. What I enjoy most about this is the pure sweet potato flavor, nothing gets in its way, allowing it to shine.
Straight: This is the way this was meant to be enjoyed, I really enjoy shochu on the rocks but this just drinks so much better neat, the sweetness, and the sharpness from the sweet potatoes meld so perfectly. There is also a nice splash of black pepper prickliness on the finish that really compliments the overall profile; just pour it in the glass and enjoy.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: This shochu is just too delicate, once mixed with water, it is almost like drinking water, no not really recommended.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Similar to Tomino Houzan, Kicchou Houzan is excellent straight out of the bottle, makes for a really nice drink to sip.
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For the price, it is a pretty good value and a nice pick up if you see it in the duty free section at the airport.
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As it is quite delicate, Kicchou Houzan makes for a good introduction shochu due to its softer profile, it can also be enjoyed a number of different ways.
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Nishi Shuzo continues to impress, everything I have tried from them has been of exceptional quality and look forward to further exploration of what they have to offer.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Cap Label
Name: 夕 Seki
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 薩摩芋（鹿児島県産 黄金千貫）Golden Sengen from Kagoshima
Ingredients:
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薩摩芋 Sweet Potato
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タイ米 (Thai rice), 米麹 (Thai rice koji)
Alcohol: 25%
In the bottle: Slightly sweet and fragrant; as you dig a bit deeper you can find some nice notes of fresh nectarine, watermelon rind and sour cherry Jolly Ranchers in the beginning before fading into the more earthy damp hay. If you really breath in deep you can also catch some sweet potato, vanilla and toasted rice toward the end, overall, highly enjoyable and gives a great preview for what is in the bottle.
On the rocks: The first sip is refreshing with a nice peppery, slightly spicy note at the back of the palate, this transitions smoothly to some of the fruitiness observed on the nose. If you let this sit on your tongue long enough you can taste a rich toasted rice with hints of vanilla and what seems like baking spice. Seki is a nice change from some of the sweeter shochu I have recently been trying, it has a nice crispness, especially just after pouring it over ice which gives this a great drinkability.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1This really smooths out and in my opinion loses a lot of what makes this interesting, it is not bad by any means, it just doesn't have any real substance behind it. Unfortunately, I did not try this neat in the glass, the delicate nature of this shochu feels like it would be highly enjoyable straight.
Enjoy straight or on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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Picked this up based on the suggestion from the shop, seems this is a distillery they push a lot of people toward, so far it has been a good suggestion.
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I am starting to wonder if I am just too used to drinking on-the-rocks, as most of what I am drinking these days just does not have enough substance to it when diluted with water.
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I have one more bottle from Nishi Shuzo to try, I hear good things, so it will be worth some time to further explore what else they have to offer.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Name: 天使の誘惑 Tenshi no Yūwaku
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū, aged in sherry casks
Potato: 薩摩芋（鹿児島県産 黄金千貫）Golden Sengen from Kagoshima
Ingredients:
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薩摩芋 Sweet Potato
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米麹 Rice Koji
Alcohol: 40%
Enjoy straight or on the rocks
In the bottle: Incredibly fragrant, the sherry cask ageing is on full display on the nose and dominates most of what comes out of the bottle. There is a massive cherry vibe that comes through that feels richi and sweet, very reminiscent of a fortified wine or a dessert wine. Also found what seems like baking spices, specifically nutmeg with a bit of caramel. Overall Tenshi no Yuwaku feels very far removed from a sweet potato shochu, which is not surprising considering the 10-year aging, my guess at this stage is that this will drink more like a whiskey and less like a shochu.
On the rocks: A bit warm and sharp at the start; however, soon the oak and sherry start to take center stage and this mellows out considerably. Similar to neat in the glass, you get a lot of cherry dark chocolate, and a sweetness that still reminds me of birch beer or maybe Polar cream soda with a dash of cocoa on the finish. Overall, I enjoyed this one a bit better straight, on-the-rocks is nice but given the whiskey feel, I just prefer this without ice.
Straight: This comes in a bit hot to start but once your tastebuds temper a bit, Tenshi no Yukaku is just so smooth and drinks so much like a whiskey, which is not surprising considering the 10-year aging. After the adjustment period, the first notes to hit are some beautifully fresh oak, followed by cherry (also reminds me a bit of birch beer) and a nice bit of dark chocolate or bitter cocoa that follows through to the finish. There is a nice rounded sweetness here as well, if you really isolate this, it does give the feeling of sweet potato shochu, overall, a really nice way to enjoy this.
Paired with Chocolate: Kaldi 70% cocoa, wow, absolutely intense, the chocolate is ramped up significantly, and the cherry notes from the sherry cask ageing really give this a cherry chocolate ganache dessert taste. The finish here also expands the chocolate quite a bit as you get wave after wave of cherry and chocolate as well as a bit of a cherry liqueur taste toward the end, very nice.
Reflections on this shōchū
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I had my eye on this bottle for a while and then this sat on the shelf for a spell before giving it a go, well worth the wait, another great bottle from Nishi Shuzo.
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These oak aged and sherry cask aged shochu are some of my favorite bottles to open, almost always you end up with something special and while I understand not everyone is into to these, if you enjoy whiskey this is worth a try.
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Shochu and chocolate continues to be one of my favorite pairings, with Tenshi no Yūwaku this is not such a surprise since dark chocolate and whiskey is a perfect match.
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There was a nice ありがとう message on the back side of the label which is interesting since you need to carefully remove it in order to see it.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Name: 宝山 綾紫芋麹全量 Hōzan Aya Murasaki Imo Kōjizenryō
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 薩摩芋（鹿児島県産 黄金千貫）Golden Sengen from Kagoshima
Ingredients:
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黄金千貫 Golden Sengen (Kagoshima)
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芋麹(鹿児島産黄金千貫) Potato Koji from Kogane Sengen (Kagoshima)
Alcohol: 28%
Enjoy straight or on the rocks
In the bottle: Velvity, smooth and rich are the first things that come to mind with this bottle of Hōzan, the second thing is a really good dried sweet potato (which I will definitely try pairing with). On the back end there is a slight sharpness, which is something I have noticed on other bottles using potato koji and does a great job of balancing out that initial sweetness. Once you are past the heavier notes, there is also a nice mature vanilla and a bit of dried fruit that starts to come forward, overall the nose here really builds the excitement for what is in the glass.
On the rocks: The sharpness of the potato koji really stands out here, certainly at the beginning. While not as intense as other bottles, you can still get a bit of that black pepper at the back of the throat. Once the ice starts to melt, the sharpness fades and the sweeter notes really start to take the stage. At first this feels a bit one note, but soon the sharp and sweet notes meld together to into something really beautiful and balanced which really adds to the drinkability, especially if you are going for more than one glass.
Straight: Quite sweet at the start and very smooth, I was expecting this to be a bit more intense at the start but the sharpness from the potato koji was must softer than expected. All the key flavors hit really well along with a bit of a cereal note that I did not pick up on with ice; certainly a really nice way to enjoy Hōzan Aya Murasaki Imo Kōjizenryō.
Paired with Chocolate: Kaldi 70% chocolate, at first this comes across as very intense with the sweet potato fighting against the chocolate with neither one dominant, and then everything coalesces into this burst of vanilla and dark chocolate that is very enjoyable. The finish also rides quite nice here as the cocoa takes on a bit more of a bitter note that blends well with the sweetness of the sweet potato.
Paired with Dried Sweet Potato: Very interesting, and I cannot believe after all these years I never thought of this pairing. At first this comes across as a bit mixed up in terms of flavors, but then suddenly the sky clears and the sweet potato sweetness just washes over the palate with wave after wave of warm sweetness, really very nice.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Picked this up along with another bottle from Nishi Shuzō at this slightly upscale shop near Hiroshima station, I don't specifically remember what I paid but certainly do not regret picking this bottle up.
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This is another great offering from Nishi Shuzō, overall I have enjoyed everything I have tried and look forward to opening that last couple of bottles I have on the shelf.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
Cap Label
