Amami-Oshima Shuzo, Jougo Shochu 750ml

Brown Sugar Shochu, 24% ABV

Kagoshima, Japan

Otsu Rui Shochu with 60% Brown Cane Sugar and 40% white rice koji. Single distilled, aged 2+ years. Distillation using reduced pressure results in a drink with a lighter taste. Master Distiller Junichiro Yasuhara. 

The water used in the brewing process is natural groundwater drawn from the "Jōgo River" in Tatsugo Town, considered the most delicious water in Amami. The brown sugar, which is the essential ingredient and the very heart of brown sugar shochu, is sourced exclusively from Amami Oshima, our local island. 100% pure brown sugar from Amami Oshima is concentrated with flavor and boasts a sweet aroma, resulting in a truly exceptional brown sugar.

The roots of kokuto shochu are said to be in India and Thailand, and although the raw materials differ depending on the region, distilled spirits are made from coconuts, sugarcane (brown sugar), and rice. This method was introduced to Okinawa about 500 years ago, and then spread to Amami, where numerous improvements and innovations were made to the production technique, resulting in the kokuto shochu we know today.

Incidentally, Amami Oshima has a history of being constantly tossed about by the currents of time, from the era under the rule of the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Satsuma and America, and has endured many hardships. Against this historical backdrop, when Amami returned to Japan in 1953, Amami's brown sugar liquor, being made from brown sugar, could have been classified as a Western-style spirit under the Japanese Liquor Tax Law. However, because it uses rice koji, it was exceptionally allowed to be taxed lower as authentic shochu. Amami's brown sugar shochu is sometimes called Japanese rum, and its unique flavor, unlike other shochu, is rooted in this history.

Jougo has a light and fruity aroma, a soft and light mouthfeel and a clean, smooth swallow. Great shochu to have with food. Use in a mojito or daiquiri in place of white rum. Pair with fried foods or grilled meats and vegetables.