Name: なまはげ Namahage
Type: 粕取り焼酎 Kasutori shōchū
Ingredients: 清酒粕、清酒 Sake Lees, Sake
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 秋田清酒 Akita Seishu
Address: Amagasawa-83-1 Tochiya, Daisen, Akita 014-0801
Website: https://www.igeta.jp/item/brand/dewatsuru/5811/
Additional Content: They have a youtube channel, but, there is not a lot of content and it is mostly focused on producing rice and sake but still something interesting to watch.
In the bottle: Aromatic, and fruity with strong hints of peach, nectarine and subtle notes of licorice slightly unripened strawberries. Namahage really hits all of the key sake notes, while also opening up a bit more depth due to the distillation process resulting in something that is both familial and completely unique.
On the rocks: Bright, sweet and really smooth; aside from the alcohol on the back end, it is really just like drinking a beautiful sake. Also, there is a nice balance between the sweetness and acidity which allows the floral notes to really shine and much like the nose there is a good depth of flavors ranging from fruity to creamy all melding together into something beautiful.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio, those key impact notes take a bit of backseat; however, the core sake based flavors still remain and surprisingly the licorice that was on the nose becomes a bit more prevalent on the finish.
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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This was my first chance to enjoy Akita shochu, and by way of a nice suggestion from the shop owner.
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Namahage on the rocks is just sublime, it hits on multiple levels and is the perfect nightcap on these hot summer nights.
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A great bottle to start with if you have not tried Kasutori shochu before, it drinks like a condensed sake, which is both delicious and dangerous.
How I came across this bottle:
Fortunately, I have the opportunity to travel all around Japan for work and with every chance to travel is the chance to find some small, old, Mom and Pap liquor shop to explore. Over all my years here, I can say that one of my favorite things to do is talk with people and mostly the older generation (60+) which in the small and rural towns are the majority of the residents. While in Akita and staying in Omagari, I found Liquor house Saito and while a bit more equipped than a typical small town bottle shop, the old couple who run it were so much fun to talk to and provided some great recommendations. If you ever find yourself in Omagari, I can highly recommend stopping at this shop.
Liquor House Saito
26-2 Wakatakecho, Daisen, Akita 014-0016
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Back Label
