Enjoy on the rocks
Name: ? ないな紫 ?Naina Murasak
Type: 芋・米ブレンド焼酎 Potato/Rice shōchū blend
Potato: ムラサキマサリ Purple Sweet Potato
Ingredients: 甘藷・米・米麹(国産米) Sweet Potato, Rice, Rice Koji
Alcohol: 25%
Distillery: 明石酒造 Akashi Shuzo
Address: 461-1 Kurishita, Ebino City, Miyazaki 889-4221
Website: https://www.meigetsu.co.jp/naina/
Additional Content: The Akashi distillery has a nice youtube video talking about their 130 year history and how they produce their shōchū, unfortunately it is only in Japanese but still interesting to watch.
About ?Naina Purple
A seasonal shōchū that uses “Murasaki Masari” sweet potatoes as the main ingredient. It has a stronger finish than the standard "Naina" shōchū. The Murasaki Masari is brewed with white koji and distilled under normal pressure, and blended with the treasured rice shōchū which results in a unique flavor profile and aroma.
In the bottle: A brilliant and bright sweet potato shōchū nose with a subtle fragrance of rice with some beautiful floral notes at the end. Overall, Naina is fresh and clean with nothing clouding what is in the bottle..
On the rocks: Sweet potato dominates as it spreads across the palate, leaving a smooth, mellow sweetness that just pushes you to take another sip. The floral flavor that lingers on the tongue is incredibly pleasant and adds to the enjoyment of this unique shōchū. The challenge with Naina is that it is just too drinkable, every bottle I have bought never lasts more than a week, it just hits on all levels.
水割り Diluted with water
4:1, 3:2 ratio: The magic ratio, all the key flavors remain present without becoming too mellow, perfect if drinking more than 1 glass.
2:3 ratio: It holds up surprisingly well as it mellows, a good way to stretch the bottle if on a budget.
Reflections on this shōchū
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Unique shōchū that blends sweet potato and rice to produce a thoroughly enjoyable drinking experience.
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A high-quality shōchū at a mid-range price point makes this a value buy.
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Less is more packaging that stylish and represents the passion and care that went into crafting what is in the bottle.
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The perfect bottle to bring as a gift or as a souvenir.
How I came across this bottle:
This one is quite simple, I came across ?Naina while looking at my local liquor store for a new shōchū to try. I am a sucker for unique bottles and the combination of a purple slightly tattered label and rustic rope tied around the neck of the bottle was enough to make me feel this was an above average shōchū. It was also a blend of two sweet potatoes and rice which are my two favorite types and not overpriced so it was worth a try and has become one of my favorites. I recently picked up a bottle of standard release Naina and I look forward to comparing to two. From a pricing standpoint, I have found this shōchū at a range of different shops for about 1500-1700 JPY which makes this a mid-range bottle.
Bottle label and Information
Front Label
？ないな
?Naina
Ingredients, distillery address and alcohol warning, etc.
Cap Label
Company Seal