A spring and fall release from the Yanagita distillery in Miyazaki, the Aokage hits the nose with fantastic roasted sesame and toasted wheat aromas. On the palate it’s definitely full-bodied barley shochu, but with sweet round caramel notes. The nutty finish lingers and coats the mouth. A truly delicious shochu that should be enjoyed neat, or with room temperature/hot water.
JC May 2021: One of my favorite mid-range shochus sold by Sake Central (under $250), I can’t overstate how delicious Aokage’s toasted caramel is with just a little bit of water. Another sure-to-convert-doubters shochu that hints at whiskey, but adds that roasted sesame dimension that simply doesn’t exist in Western alcohol. I love black sesame shochu too, but it’s quite overbearing to people who aren’t used to the flavor – Aokage brings just the right balance. How it coats and lingers on the palate is something to behold. Highly recommended.
Additional
Yanagita Seasonal Shochu
AOKAGE is produced by atmospheric distillation and its characteristics are powerful yet deep with full-bodied aroma and taste. The rich and lasting after-taste is appreciated by “SHOCHU drinkers” , those who feel, “We can enjoy distilled spirits flavor comparative to western spirits”. https://www.yanagita.co.jp/products/spring/en/index.html
Skurnik seems to have more detail than I can find elsewhere…
- 100% locally grown 2-row barley
- Slow fermentation at low temperatures before distillation
- Koji is grown directly on barley to release sugars and umami
- When distilling Yanagita-san adjusts the direction of the heat entering the still to ‘toast’ the liquid inside as it moves, creating distinctive roasty notes
- After distillation spirit is aged in glass tanks and filtered by hand, straining the tops of tanks with custom made horsehair strainers to remove impurities but retain oils and flavor
https://www.skurnik.com/sku/barley-shochu-aokage-yanagita-distillery/
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