November 1st was Honkaku Shochu and Awamori Day, and we here at Shochu Pro hope you were able to enjoy a glass or two that evening.
But did you know that the first was also Sushi Day?
Well, the good folks at Satsuma Shuzo certainly did. And they planned way ahead.
Enter “Jan” (両 / じゃん), the sweet potato shochu that is distilled and aged to pair easily with all manner of Japanese food. And especially sushi. In fact, the Kagoshima Sushi Association was directly involved in bringing this new label to life.
If you’re thinking, “There’s nothing new about sushi restaurants carrying decent shochu lists,” then you’re absolutely right. There are an untold number of honkaku shochu and awamori that can enhance the sweet and subtle of a good sushi chef.
However, it is rare for a shochu to hit the scene with the express purpose of targeting that niche.
Satsuma Shuzo’s “Jan,” according to the Shuhan News trade publication, is an understated shochu distilled at low temperatures. The distillery itself calls it refreshingly rounded.
We reached out to the distillery, and here’s what they had to say:
Kagoshima is famous for top quality beef and pork, but we are also blessed with delicious seafood. That is one of the reasons why we have many sushi restaurants in Kagoshima, and the members of the Kagoshima Sushi Association wanted to make imo shochu that can be paired with their sushi perfectly. So we were inspired by their ideas, and we worked together with them to produce Jan.
The distillery’s spokesperson also said that their newest shochu complements a variety of fish dishes, so try it with something grilled or steamed as well. We have yet to see “Jan” outside of Kagoshima Prefecture, but we expect that it will be heading north soon.
MSRP on the 900 ml bottles is reportedly 950 yen.
Click here for Satsuma Shuzo’s announcement.
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