Believe in the Spirit
By Nikola Nikoletic
The day has come for my flight to Japan. It’s my first time visiting the country of the rising sun and I’m super excited about all the Shochu to come. At JFK, I met up with my friend and one of the NYC Shochu teammates, Takuma. I’m used to long flights but traveling with a friend makes it even better. Soon enough, we also meet up with Chris Bostick and we are ready to go.
At the Tokyo Airport we are joined by the rest of the group, Julia and Don, together with our hosts Hiromi and Chikako. We still have a 15 minute gap before our flight to Imo Shochu Kingdom, the Myazaki prefecture. Takuma and I didn't waste any time and chug and slurp my first Ramen in Japan. It was so delicious!
Back in 2018 I made my first Shochu cocktail. I have to admit I didn’t have a full understanding of it or knew much about Honkaku Shochu. Nonetheless, I was glad to be able to say that I had an early introduction to it back in the day.
In the past two years I got curious about the entire category and the more I was digging and learning, the more I was falling in love with the spirit. In the summer of 2021, I organized a class about Shochu at Patent Pending for my colleagues and industry guests. Chikako and Mr. Phillip Duff were so kind as to share their vast knowledge with the Patent team. I was also blown away when my friend Takuma presented his amazing Shochu creation, The Tea Ceremony cocktail.
At the beginning of 2022, I did a Shochu webinar and some Shochu photoshoots and events. I could not believe that by the end of 2022, I had the opportunity to actually go to Japan and visit Shochu distilleries. Having the chance to learn firsthand and dig deeper into the world of such an amazing spirit is something I will never forget. Jet lag did not stop me from going out and experiencing the bar scene in Caigusacho, Miyazaki prefecture. The rest of the Shochu team felt the same, and we were out cheering with Shochu highballs. The entire region is blessed with thermal springs, so I finished the night relaxing in the hotel thermal pool.
The Kyoya Sake Brewery was the first Shochu distillery that we visited. Alongside the president and the master distiller of the Kyoya Distillery, several press teams welcomed us. A beautiful traditional Japanese house was dominating the space. Right next to it, hard working people were selecting their local sweet potato for fermentation. The delicate care for the main ingredient left a powerful impression on me. A great deal of uniqueness of the Honkaku Shochu is attributed to the Koji mold that is used in the process of making Shochu. Since Shochu is a one-time distilled spirit, the original taste of the start ingredient is kept. Seingetsu, the master distiller, has the philosophy not to harm all the qualities of the carefully produced sweet potato. This yields an elegant Imo Shochu that I had the pleasure of tasting at the Kyoya Distillery.
The second distillery we visited, Kirishima Shuzo, was something completely different. It was a building complex with an astonishing production complex. The thoughtful and contemporary route through the distillery had a beautiful representation of the Imo Shochu process. The Kirishima people were extremely friendly and the dinner at their garden was a delicious local barbecue with an incredibly relaxed atmosphere that made me feel so comfortable. I had to check out the Kirishima bar scene, so I decided that I would sleep another time. I loved the bar scene over there. I was impressed to see so many barkeeps in their early 20s as well as in their 80s. There was a passion for the technique and certain classic cocktails. So far, in the bars, I didn’t notice many local ingredients, any Shochu cocktails, or a take on the classics. From what I saw up to this point, cocktail bars were reserved for whiskey and gin so far. Of course we finished the night by relaxing in the thermal pool once again. Nature was very generous in these Southern parts of Japan!
Visiting Amami Island was a dream within a dream. I respect and love rum as a category, but Kokuto Shochu is far more unique from what Koji does to it. It is definitely not a rum, even though you can also taste the cane.
Often at Patent Pending I do a quick Shochu tasting for friends and when I put any rum back to back with Kokuto Shochu the difference is just obvious. I was super thrilled to discover more about this unique and geographically protected Amami Shochu. If you know that Koji Mold eats starch and then turns it into sugar, that is food for yeast in the fermentation process. The Koji mold eating the cane so rich with sugar makes this process way more interesting.
Also, to understand this “noble” and unique molds and the geography of Shochu, it’s important to understand that Black Koji also produces citric acid. This process makes fermentation in a warm climate more stable and possible. In 1924, from black Koji, by mutation, we got another “noble” variety, the white Koji, that also produces Citric Acid.
Yellow Koji used for Sake doesn’t produce Citric Acid so Sake is traditionally produced in the northern parts, where the weather is colder and in the more Southern parts of Japan are the kingdoms of Shochu.
When we began landing in Amami Islands, I was already in love. We are introduced to Mr. Kan. What an amazing person he is. He immediately got the title of Mr. Amami. He did so many extra steps for us to feel the atmosphere and rich culture of Amami Islands. The flora of the island was astonishing. Before getting into Shochu, we had to visit Oshima Tsumugimura, foremost for making pure art in textile. I bought myself a wonderful transitional silk shirt. I soon found out that supporting the local economy made me a lot of friends over there.
On the first night we had the pleasure of meeting all of the Amami Kokuto Shochu distillers in the first tasting room. In NYC for now only two Kokuto Shochu products are available. Both honestly delicious and both led at traditional twenty-five percent alcohol. At the round tables, we had a chance to meet in person the producers and connect with them. Kokuto Shochu is probably my favorite one. Personally, I think it should take more space in the liquor universe. Within strict rules, it can be made only in Amami Islands double-fermented with rice Koji mold, made only from local dark sugar blocks. The sugar blocks we get by boiling and after that process drying sugar stem juice. The variety of Kokuto Shochu flavors and how different the alcohol strength changes the perspective of the spirit was very interesting to me.
We were so lucky on that night because right in the town center there was a folk festival. A lot of musicians were playing and singing traditional songs. At the end, everybody started dancing and before I knew I was dancing on the stage with the performers.
We visited three island distilleries on this trip. The Amami people were so honest and also great hosts.
Amami Oshima Shuzo Co. produces Jougo Shochu, which I had the honor to try in NYC. Jougo is smooth and rounded. In my opinion, it has the best design for the western market. Bottled at twenty-four percent ABV, it’s great by itself or as a star in lower alcohol content cocktails. I just wish a more potent version was available in the USA market. While talking about the Shochu, we were honored to try some of their very special Shochus rested in traditional clay pots, and some others carefully aged from the barrel.
Shochu’s color cannot be darker than light amber by law. Therefore, not many Shochus are aged in wooden barrels.
Yayoi Distillery was much smaller than the others, so we were able to have a more detailed conversation about Koji, the cooling system during fermentation so the yeast can live longer. Yes, fermentation in Shochu is much longer than a usual two or three days one. The final Amami Distillery produces Lento, another Kokuto Shochu I had the honor to enjoy in NYC. Bottled at 25% ABV, it is super elegant and refined. I discovered that they actually play classical music in the room where Shochu is resting in gigantic metal tanks. The vibrations of the music are apparently beneficial to the symphony of flavors in this product. A very precious moment during this visit was that we went to see the actual spring where the water is sourced, surrounded by the beautiful nature. We saw the sugar cane field, cut it, juiced it, and tasted it. We also tasted the product during fermentation. I love to taste everything, it gives me another perspective and understanding of the spirit. For instance, during the first day of the fermentation the product is sweet and bold, and since yeast feeds with sugar, on the eighth day you can taste the alcohol and a dry, yeasty product, completely different from its original state, ready for distillation.
We left the wonderful Amami Oshima on the following day and flew back to Kagoshima. The landscape changed to continental but was still breathtaking. We arrived at an old gold mine that is now used as storage for gold in a different form, The Honkaku Shochu. The train ride with the team into the mines deep under the mountain was just the start of my excitement. Walking through an old mine was a one of a kind feeling. We entered a room with clay pots as tall as I am, where the Imo Shochu rested in undisturbed temperature through the entire year. We follow our guide through hallways with a lot of Shochu bottles that have personal messages and pictures of babies. The tradition is to leave a bottle of Shochu to mature until a proper family occasion occurs for that bottle to be opened. This shows how important the role Shochu has in Japanese culture. I learned about many more traditions tied with Shochu while we were walking through the mine. At every stop there was a beautifully done marker describing Shochu production. At the end we visited the shrine where mine diggers were praying for good health while doing such a risky job. What I admired is that in all the Shochu distilleries we visited, there was a small shrine. To me, that was more proof that the people who make this spirit care for it so much and truly believe in it.
That night we went for dinner with Shochu producers from that region. We connected through tasting Shochu and discussed how we see the future and growth of the spirit. Kagoshima, the birthplace of Shochu, met my expectations. Our journey started with the Roku Bar. Such a jewel where Honkaku Shochu and Awamori are loved and cherished. Our host was the amazing Maya Aley, a young lady born and raised in the States but moved to Japan where she felt for this amazing culture. We were hungry for more of it. Entering the bar Ishizue was like entering a contemporary gallery of Shochu with, I am not exaggerating, there were thousands of Shochu bottles. A hunger for Shochu called for a hunger for Ramen as well. Our hosts were so kind and attentive. They also took us to the spot where I had unarguably the best Ramen in the universe! The night had great energy. Julia and Takuma joined Chris and myself for one more unforgivable night in Japan.
The crown of this quest was the seminar we did in Tokyo's hotel Edition’s Gold Bar. I was honored to be a part of this group. The seminar started with Don’s presentation that inspired us as well as about eighty industry professionals who came to Gold Bar on that day. Next, we were able to share our NYC experience and passion for Honkaku Shochu and Awamori. Talking is fine but what I love to do the most is make drinks. We each presented one Shochu cocktail to the audience, turning this seminar into a Shochu party. I presented my Shiro Martini, a take on the classic that is a perfect match for Ichiko Saiten Barley Shochu, bottled at 43% Alcohol by Volume.
During this Shochu journey I most of all learned to enjoy lower proof Shochu, elegant and not aggressive, perfect with outstanding food in all parts that we visited. To me, soft clear water used to make Shochu was unbelievably coming through no matter what brand or style of Shochu I tasted. It triggered not just pleasure in flavor of different styles of Honkaku Shochu, but created an organic connection through mouthfeel and viscosity. Most of all, it has a mouth-popping dry finish. Shochu can be legally made from about fifty different ingredients, but four are dominant with a reason. Rice, barley, sweet potato, and Kokuto dark sugar. Those four styles reflect and represent the category, culture, land, and tradition. In NYC when I use Shochu it’s something fun, exotic, deep, and cool.
At the seminar we connected with a lot of amazing industry people. The Gold Bar team was extremely organized and professional so when I went behind the bar I felt as if I had been working there for years. A lot of Tokyo bartenders tried my Shiro Martini, now it was time to pay a visit to their bars. In those bars I tried some delicious and inventive Shochu Cocktails. At the SG Club, we visited and signed our names in the special Ninja Room. I also got an SG pin and had the pleasure of trying their famous “Wagyu Mafia Fashioned”. The Bellwood team were all rockstars. I was always a fan of Hiroyasu Kayama’s cocktail style. Meeting him at the seminar and tasting some of his creations at the bar Benfiddich was a delightful experience. I can’t skip Folklore Mixology and Terroir Bar. It had such a great clean concept wrapped around Japanese culture and spirits.
From this week spent in Japan I gained memories and friendships that will last. We shared thoughts, information, and knowledge. I learned from people who have true mastery. Most of all, I learned that in order to enjoy the spirit you need to understand where it’s coming from. The people were brightly spirited, natural, and honest! The trip was so well organized. From organizations to the people we were meeting on the streets, every person I interacted with was such a great host. Until next time, I’m raising a class of Shochu. Kanpai!