Name: 山ねこ 麹米山田錦 Yama Neko Koji Kome Yamada
Type: 芋焼酎 Potato shōchū
Potato: 甘藷（ジョイホワイト）Joy White
Ingredients: 甘藷（ジョイホワイト）、米麹 Sweet Potato, Rice Koji
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 尾鈴山蒸留所 Osuzuyama Distillery
Address: 656-17 Kuratani, Ishikawauchi, Kijo-cho, Koyu-gun, Miyazaki
Website: https://osuzuyama.co.jp/en/
Additional Content: None that I can find at this moment
About Yamaneko (Distillery website)
Lychee, muscat, sweet and gorgeous like white flowers It has a rich aroma and sweet potato aroma. While feeling the thickness and plumpness of the potato, the gorgeous scent remains in the afterglow.
Soda, water and rock are recommended.
In the bottle: Sweet, floral, with notes of lychee and candied fruits. The aroma spreads nicely as you take it in and the alcohol is not in your face which only adds to the enjoyment of drinking.
On the rocks: The floral and lychee flavors dominate as it spreads on the palate, the finish is perfectly balanced and there is a nice potato shōchū flavor lingers but never feels unwelcome. Overall, this is an incredibly enjoyable shōchū to sip and this bottle emptied a bit faster than I would have liked.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: While I prefer, on the rocks, diluted with a little water and this really opens up and the sweet fruit notes smooth, making this a nice after dinner drink.
2:3 ratio: This holds up reasonably well with some of the sweetness remaining; however at this ratio you lose too much of what makes this shōchū so nice.
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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I really enjoy trying and finding these non-standard offerings, and this was an absolute win from the beautiful amora to the perfectly balanced sweetness.
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This is a definite reorder and one I can highly recommend for those that want to go outside of the standard offering range.
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A high-quality shōchū at a mid-range price point makes this a worthwhile purchase, especially as a non-standard product.
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Based on my experience with both of the non-standard Yamaneko varieties, I will definitely add the standard version to my target list.
How I came across this bottle:
I really enjoyed the rice shochu "Yamahisui" from Osuzuyama and after spending some time on their website, I checked out their online store and found a few non-standard releases which immediately sparked my interest. I picked up the two Yamaneko types and both are really enjoyable and worth checking out. The one on this page is amazingly fruity, with a smooth potato shōchū flavor and the one, which I am drinking while writing this, is sweet with a slight caramel and golden sweet potato flavor.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
Top Label
Osuzuyama [Yamaneko]
Version: Yamada Nishiki Rice Koji
Osuzuyama Distillery
Ingredients:
Joy White Sweet Potatoes
Yamada Nishiki
Type:
Authentic shōchū
Back Label Translation
Osuzuyama [Yamaneko] Potato
Osuzuyama Distillery, located deep in the mountains where water springs from the ground.
The distillery was built in a secluded area abundant with high-quality water and surrounded by forest trees, deep in the mountains, which are said to contain more than 30 large and small waterfalls on Mount Osuzu. The ingredients are carefully cultivated and harvested by local and contracted farmers.