Name: 古酒王道楽土 Koshu Ōdō Rakudo (3yr)
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū blend
Potato: 黄金千貫 Golden Sengen,
Ingredients: 黄金千貫 Golden Sengen, Black Rice Koji (Domestic)
Alcohol: 30%
Distillery: 恒松酒造 Tsunematsu Shuzō
Address: 1022 Taragi, Kuma District, Kumamoto 868-0501
Website: http://tsunematsu-shuzo.com
Additional Content: There is a short video on their production, which was more like a commercial for another Tessho another potato shōchū.
About Koshu Ōdō Rakudo (3yr)
This old sake is bottled at 30 degrees after aging Odo Rakudo for a long time. The original gentle and rich taste of the potato has been added to the richness of the original sake.
Enjoy on the rocks
In the bottle: The sweetness is really front and center on the nose, a bit thick with hints of candied fruit (syrup) and a slightly damp hay.
On the rocks: Strong and sweet with notes of black pepper, vanilla, caramel and toasted rice, it is very full in the mouth and leaves a little prickly feeling in the back of the throat and on the tongue. The aging also comes through in the dept of the flavors, I thought there would be more clay earthy notes from the longer storage but I didn't really catch any.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: The sweetness mellows out considerably, resulting in a fresher mouth feel while keeping those vanilla, caramel and toasted rice on the palate. There is an interesting bitterness that reminds me of spring greens.
2:3 ratio: This holds up quite well at the lower ratio, smoothing all those intense sweet notes down to something that feels full-bodied, but not overtly heavy. However, it loses some of those nice impact notes, especially the black pepper.
Reflections on this shōchū
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This bottle was a bit pricey, but when I think of what I spend on a decent bottle of Scotch, 2500 JPY is quite reasonable for a 3yr potato shōchū.
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That nice bitterness reminds me of spring greens, the kind you get with tempura soba in the spring, seems like it would be a good match。
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Overall, I really enjoyed this bottle, however, it was a bit of a got-to-be-in-the-mood shōchū, mainly because it is a bit on the sweet side and a little thick.
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I really enjoyed this on the rocks and diluted with water, both ways offer a great tasting experience.
How I came across this bottle:
Another stop at Monogatari while in Tokyo on business and another great find, and this suggestion from the staff was quite enjoyable. They didn't have a bottle open for tasting, but their suggestions have always been spot on, so it was a low risk buy even though not very cheap, I think around 2500 JPY.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Koshu Ōdō Rakudo
Unfiltered, 30 degrees (alcohol)
Aged Shochu with black Koji
Kogane Sengen sweet potato
Back Label
Koshu Ōdō Rakudo
This is a luxurious old sake authentic potato shochu that is made by hand selecting each potato (Kogane Senkan) grown under contract in the Kuma region and using a ratio of 6 tons of potatoes to rice black rice koji and Niton. The koji mold uses carefully selected black koji mold and is bottled without filtration to preserve the original flavor of the potato. In addition, we have improved the quality of long-term storage aging. The soft and rich aroma and natural sweetness of potato shochu has been added to the matured mellowness.
Umami ingredients may become cloudy or sediment, but there is no quality problem. Shake lightly and drink.