Made with 100% barley (incl. barley koji) in Miyazaki by the Yanagita Distillery (makers of the HKShochu favorite Aokage), Tochikurige is light amber, the classic straw color of aged barley shochu. It is aged using Mizunara white oak casks for seven years, which serves to mellow the flavor but doesn’t overpower the predominant barley/wheat notes. It edges towards sweet and savory, which makes it wonderful on the rocks. A good aged barley shochu to try. Typically sold as 41% ABV shochu, Sake Central sells a 25% version (perhaps for export markets?) in an unusual 500ml bottle.
JC 10/21: I think the usage of mizunara casks is interesting because it really doesn’t add that vanilla oak flavor you get in other aged shochu/whiskey. I think it serves the purpose of mellowing the shochu without removing the flavor. I get a lot of soy/umami on the palate here, which isn’t for everyone, but it’s much better with ice than straight. I think it walks a nice balance between aging and allowing the natural flavors of the barley to shine through. 8.0/10
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