Name: こめじるし Komejirushi 10yr
Type: 米焼酎 Rice shōchū
Rice: 米（はなかぐら）
Ingredients: 米、米麹（国産） Rice, Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 秋田酒類製造 Akita Shuruiseizō
Address: 4-12 Kawamotomutsumimachi, Akita, 010-0934
Website: https://www.takashimizu.co.jp/
Additional Content: None that I can find at this moment
In the bottle: Komejirushi starts off with a beautifully fragrant rice shochu scent before spreading into a bit of candied vanilla and orange, almost like a creamsicle. Overall what comes out of the bottle is fresh and light, with the alcohol very neutral and only really makes an appearance at the tail end as this fades out.
On the rocks: Exceptional is the best place to start, Akita Shuruiseizō uses only pristine water and high-quality rice and it shows, from the first sip you can feel the quality and effort that went into making this. Overall, just like in the bottle, this is fresh, rich and super smooth, and while there is definitely some sweetness and burnt caramel which only serves to intensify the toasted rice, making Komejirushi something to savor and most likely go back for another glass.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: This was so nice that I never got the chance to try it any other way...
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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Another great travel find, and a fun experience talking with the liquor store staff, haven't had a bad recommendation yet.
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It would have been nice to find a little more information on this as I cannot tell if this was the 10 year aged shochu or no, either way it was delicious.
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
Box
High quality shochu, high quality glue on the label