Enjoy on the rocks
Name: ? ないな白 ?Naina White
Type: 芋・米焼酎 Sweet Potato/Rice shōchū
Potato: 黄金千貫 Golden Sengan
Ingredients: 甘藷・米麹(国産米) Sweet Potato, Rice Koji
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 明石酒造 Akashi Shuzo
Address: 461-1 Kurishita, Ebino City, Miyazaki 889-4221
Website: https://www.meigetsu.co.jp/naina/
Additional Content: Akashi distillery has a nice youtube video talking about their 130 year history and how they produce their shōchū, unfortunately it is only in Japanese but still interesting to watch.
About ?Naina White (Distillery Website)
“? Naina” was born from the overlapping thoughts of many people who love shochu. Voices from drinking buddies in the town wanting to make a special shochu that represents their hometown.
In the bottle: The nose reminds me of dried fruits, specifically dried apricots with a hint of vanilla, there is a faint sweetness and sharpness that is incredibly enticing. Aside from these notes, it is quite neutral and the alcohol is almost non-existent, which allows the subtle notes to shine.
On the rocks: ?Naina strikes a perfect balance between sweet and sharp, and never feels heavy in the mouth. What you experience on the nose comes through so smoothly on the palate, with the additional potato notes really shining on the finish which elevates ?Naina to a whole new level.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio, Everything that makes this shōchū so amazing is still present, albeit a bit more subdued aside from the sweetness which really comes through with a little water.
2:3 ratio, at this ratio, it loses most the impact notes, however a subtle sweetens still lingers slightly but not the ideal way to enjoy ?Naina.
Reflections on this shōchū
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?Naina white is just beautiful on all levels, I have gifted this more than a few times over the years.
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A high-quality shōchū at a mid-range price point makes this a low risk try, and one that you most likely will not be disappointed with.
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Same as ?Naina Purple, the less is more packaging that stylish and represents the passion and care that went into crafting what is in the bottle.
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I can't wait to open the 2015 single batch vintage that I picked up at the end of last year,
How I came across this bottle:
This one is quite simple, I came across ?Naina while looking at my local liquor store for a new shōchū to try. I am a sucker for unique bottles and the combination of a purple slightly tattered label and rustic rope tied around the neck of the bottle was enough to make me feel this was an above average shōchū. It was also a blend of two sweet potatoes and rice which are my two favorite types and not overpriced so it was worth a try and has become one of my favorites. I recently picked up a bottle of standard release Naina and I look forward to comparing to two. From a pricing standpoint, I have found this shōchū at a range of different shops for about 1500-1700 JPY which makes this a mid-range bottle.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Cap Label
