Barrel-aged Shochu Update

March 18, 2016 by Christopher Pellegrini Leave a Comment

The number of cask-aged shochu products on the market has increased steadily over the past few years, and 2016 looks to be no different.

Scheduled for release on April 20th, the Taru Kakoi series should appeal to whiskey lovers.

Yamae Hisano announced that it would release an original line of single-cask honkaku shochu from four different distilleries on April 20th.

The series includes (left to right):
1. Komasa Distillery’s (Kagoshima Pref.) Kozuru barley shochu aged for five years in Japanese white oak. 25% ABV.
2. Satsuma Musou Distillery’s (Kagoshima Pref.) Musou sweet potato shochu aged for four years in American oak. 25% ABV.
3. Takachiho Distillery’s (Miyazaki Pref.) Takachiho corn shochu aged for three years in white oak. 25% ABV.
4. Toyonagakura Distillery’s (Kumamoto Pref.) Toyonagakura rice shochu aged for five years in Spanish sherry casks. 25% ABV.

It goes without saying that this line should appeal to whiskey drinkers as the softer attack, mouthfeel, and caloric payload often come across as a “diet whiskey.”

Yamae Hisano recommends enjoying these four barrel-aged shochu on the rocks or in a highball.

About Christopher Pellegrini

Christopher Pellegrini, author of The Shochu Handbook, happened upon shochu more than a decade ago, and his curiosity was piqued by the dearth of published information about it. Many years of distillery visits, palate refining, and test taking later, he became one of the few Certified Shochu Sommelier (SSI) to be born outside of Japan. He now spends his time conducting shochu and awamori tastings, writing for various food and drink publications, and consulting restaurants, bars, and distributors on how to bring these drinks into the fold.
A native of Vermont, Christopher was an accomplished pole vaulter and spent several years working for Otter Creek Brewing where he eventually inhabited the night brewing shift. Little did he know that his experience making good beer would lead him to a career in another high quality drink thousands of miles away. After a year in Spain and two in South Korea, Christopher moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2002, where a distinct lack of craft beer sent him straight into shochu's open arms.
He has since found a home talking about Japanese food and drinks for an international audience. He is the host of Japan Booze Blind and Ishokudogen, two web series that cater to Japan's culinary fans around the world. Christopher holds an MA in language education from University College London's Institute of Education, and is the English translator of the survival Japanese textbook Konnichiwa, Nihongo! He has also been published in print and online outlets such as Koe and Global Insider.