Name: 武者返し Mushagaeshi
Type: 米焼酎 Rice shōchū
Rice: ヒノヒカリの新米100％ Hinohikari new rice
Ingredients: 米・米麹(熊本産) Rice, Rice Koji (Kumamoto)
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 寿福酒造場 Jufuku Shuzojyo Brewery
Address: 28-2 Tamachi, Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Website: https://kumashochu.or.jp/web/eng/
Additional Content: Jufuku Shozojyo has a great introduction to their craft shōchū and with English subtitles, listening to the mother and son of this family business you can't help but feel the love and dedication that goes into their shōchū.
About Mushagaeshi
Jufuku Shuzo uses only 100% locally produced Hinohikari rice and is one of the only distilleries that still uses traditional normal pressure distillation. All processes are made by hand, and it is our greatest encouragement to hear the words "delicious" from our customers.
Distiller Recommendation: Dilute with hot water (I did not try this, not my favorite)
In the bottle: Very soft and not overpowering, with a nice and light rice scent, slightly sweet, there is also a hint of musty hay. Overall Mushagaeshi has a really refined nose which is really inviting and definitely builds the anticipation for that first sip.
On the rocks: Speaking of that first sip, right of the bat there is a strong rice shōchū taste that gives way to a mellow toasted rice flavor that lingers nicely and reminds me of a vanilla caramel, very enjoyable.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio, Definitely the magic ratio for enjoying a few glasses, flavors remain strong with a nice toasted rice and light caramel finish that lingers.
2:3 ratio, Becomes very smooth and light with a less pronounced toasted rice flavor but the light caramel finish remains and reminds me of stroopwafels.
Enjoy on the rocks
Reflections on this shōchū
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A very accessible entry into the world of Kuma shōchū (球磨焼酎)
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A high-quality craft shōchū at a mid-range price point makes this a low risk value buy
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Beautifully smooth toasted rice and slightly sweet vanilla caramel finish makes this a perfect drink to sip
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Distillery with a great story and passion for making shōchū puts this high on my list for my next trip to Kyushu
How I came across this bottle:
I originally planned to look around Enoteca to see if they had any new South African wines, however I got sidetracked at the adjacent liquor shop. There was a nice selection of rice shōchū (米焼酎 komejochu) from Kyushu with some brands I had not seen before and prices that were lower than what I would expect in a Japanese department store. So I settled on Mushagaeshi for 1200 JPY which seemed pretty reasonable and worth a shot.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
武者返し
Mushagaeshi
Ingredients, distillery address and alcohol warning, etc.
Cap Label
球磨焼酎
武者返し
常圧蒸留
創業明治23年(1890年)の家族経営の小さな小さな蔵ですが、心を込めて造っています。すべてが手作業なので、少量仕込みで手間を惜しまず丁寧に造ります。そして蒸留後、じっくりと寝かせて熟成させます。原料の米は、地元産にこだわっております。これだけは妥協できません。
米ならではのなめらかな口当たりと甘み、飲み応えのある深い味わいをお楽しみください。
おすすめの飲み方 お湯割り
Back Label
Kuma shōchū
Mushagaeshi
Atmospheric distillation
Founded in 1890 (Meiji 23), a small, family-run brewery. I put my heart into it, since everything is done by hand, we carefully make our products in small batches without sparing time and effort. After distillation, it is left to mature slowly. We are particular about using only locally grown rice and that is something that cannot be compromised. Please enjoy the deep satisfying taste, smooth texture and sweetness unique to rice.
The recommended way to drink: Mix with hot water