Name: 吟醸粕取り Ginjo Kasutori
Type: 吟醸酒焼酎 Ginjo Sake Shōchū
Rice: 酒粕 Junmai Ginjo Sake Lees (What's left from making Sake)
Ingredients: 吟醸酒粕(国内製造) Ginjo Sake Remnants
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 天吹酒造 Amabuki Shuzo
Address: 2894 Higashio, Miyaki-cho, Miyaki-gun, Saga
Website: https://www.amabuki.co.jp/en/
Additional Content: Short video in Japanese showing the production process for their sake, unfortunately it doesn't cover anything about this shōchū.
About Ginjo Kasutori
This shochu is made from Junmai Ginjo and Ginjoshu sake remnants and has a gorgeous scent resembling melon, white peach, and apple. The remaining mash is immediately put back in the tank after extracting the sake for another fermentation and then distilling.
Enjoy on the rocks
In the bottle: Sweet and fragrant sake nose with a hint of melon and peach, there is also a slight hint of nectarine and wild flowers. This being my first sake kasu shochu, it is hard to escape the idea that it what is in the bottle has a much higher alcohol level, it just so smooth.
On the rocks: Strong melon/peach and nose, the first sip is like a really strong sake that is on the sweeter side, the finish has a mild alcohol tastes that lingers before mellowing out to more sake tones.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio, The impact of the fruit flavors fades a bit and a little more the alcohol comes through, but still a very nice drink to sip. While not much lingers on the palate, what remains is clean and smooth.
2:3 ratio, Most of what makes this shōchū so good is completely lost at this point, so not recomended.
Reflections on this shōchū
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This is the first time to try shōchū made from what is left after making sake, proving that there are still some many great bottles left to try.
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Coming across this bottle by way of introduction from a small shop owner in a small town almost in the middle of nowhere makes this an even more interesting find.
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A great way to enjoy a sake taste while drinking at a slower pace.
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The fruity melon/peach flavor makes this a perfect shōchū for hot summer evenings, seems like it work well mixed with soda water.
Miyamoto Liquor Shop
336 Uchinomaki, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2301
〒869-2301 熊本県阿蘇市内牧336
How I came across this bottle: On our way back from Daikanbo lookout in Aso, I stopped at a small shop in Uchinomaki (Kumamoto prefecture) called Miyamoto, looking to pick up some local shochu. After a short conversation with the old shopkeeper, I asked him for some recommendations, to which he suggested Kanro as a good potato shochu from Miyazaki. He also suggested another type which was the find of the trip, shochu made from what is left over after making sake; it was so good I went back the next day to buy two more bottles.
How I came across this bottle:
On our way back from Daikanbo lookout in Aso, I stopped at a small shop in Uchinomaki (Kumamoto prefecture) called Miyamoto, looking to pick up some local shōchū. After a short conversation with the old shopkeeper, I asked him for some recommendations, to which he suggested Kanro as a good potato shōchū from Miyazaki. He also suggested another type which was the find of the trip, shōchū made from what is left over after making sake; it was so good I went back the next day to buy two more bottles.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
天
Cap Label
天吹 吟醸粕取醪取り
元禄元年の創業以来、実り多い佐賀平野で収穫された酒米と脊振山系のまろやかな伏流水を原料として真摯に美酒を追求してきました。花酵母に象徴される「革新」と連綿と紡ぐ「伝統の技」が織りな酒は、 個性的でありながら華やかに香ります。 くつろぎの時間を香しい美酒とともに。
それが天吹の使命であり喜びです。
品目: 本格焼酎
内容量: 720ml
原材料名 : 吟醸酒粕(国内製造)
アルコール分:25度
製造者 : 天吹酒造合資会社
Back Label
Amabuki brewing sake from the finest rice
Since its founding in the first year of the Genroku era, we have earnestly pursued delicious sake using sake rice harvested from the Saga Plain and mild subsoil water from the Sefuri mountain range. The sake that weaves the "innovation" symbolized by flower yeast and the "traditional skill" that is continuously spun, has a unique and gorgeous scent. Enjoy a relaxing time with fragrant sake. That is Amabuki's mission and joy.
Item: Honkaku Shochu
Contents: 720ml
Ingredients: Ginjo sake lees (produced in Japan)
Alcohol content: 25 degrees
Producer: Amabuki Shuzo Co., Ltd.