Name: 喜多屋5年 Kitaya 5-year
Type: 芋焼酎 Oak-aged Potato shōchū
Potato: さつま芋 Sweet Potato (Domestic)
Ingredients: さつま芋 Sweet Potato (Domestic), 米麹 Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 33%
Distillery: (株)喜多屋 Kitaya Corporation
Address: Honmachi 374, Yame City, Fukuoka Pref. 834-0031
Website: https://www.kitaya.co.jp/
Additional Content: Short video covering their sake and shochu production along with a little introduction.
Enjoy straight or on-the-rocks
In the bottle: Oak, beautiful oak, Kitaya is full of some amazing vanilla, cacao, caramel, custard notes, especially after it opens up a bit, the oak really shines. If you really go in deep, you can get some sugary flavors that remind me of candies when I was a kid, my wife says it reminds her of 駄菓子, same type of old sweets. At 33% it is really hard to find the alcohol, which is fine since it gives this a lot of room to show off what is in the bottle.
On the rocks: Gorgeous, the oak leads the way with a wash of vanilla, cocoa and caramel, just like on the nose, just much more intense; oak aging is really a match for potato shochu. Also, there is a really nice sweetness that comes in on the finish and balances those impact notes which makes Kitaya incredibly drinkable, even at 33% alcohol, nothing is lost, allowing those beautiful aged flavors flow free.
Straight: The oaky notes are so strong on the palate, which makes this drink a lot like a whiskey with a great depth of flavor. Kitaya starts a bit hot, but soon fades into splashes of cherry, cream soda, vanilla and what feels a bit like brown sugar; overall a great way to enjoy this nice oak-aged potato shochu.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1 ratio, This is also quite nice, Kitaya holds up well with a little water, with a lot of what you find on the rocks still front and center; however, straight or on-the-rocks is the best way to enjoy this.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Saw this bottle in the supermarket on the second floor the Atre area of Shinagawa station, to be honest I kind of went with my gut due to the label.
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I have had a few oak-ages rice shochu before, but I think this might be the first imo one I have had, Kitaya did not disappoint.
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The last time I was in Shinagawa there was a different bottle of Kitaya, I regret not picking it up, maybe next time.