The Asahi ("sunrise") distillery is the oldest Kokuto Shochu distillery, founded in 1916. Kokuto is a traditional whole-grain cane sugar loaf from Japan's southern islands. It can be compared to panela, piloncillo or South American rapadura. The name Kokuto Shochu is reserved for the Amami Islands, south of Kagoshima prefecture. This shochu is produced on the small Kikai-shima, to the east.
A large proportion of the sugar cane used to produce the basic kokuto for this shochu comes from the company's own organic farm. The sugar loaves are also produced on site. The rest of the supply comes from the other Amami islands, as well as the Okinawa archipelago.
On the fermentation side, the first phase is a kojification of Thai rice (also partly produced on site), using white koji. After a second fermentation of raw sugar, distillation takes place under atmospheric pressure. This is followed by a year's rest, during which the shochu gains a remarkable roundness.
This kokuto shochu can be enjoyed neat, diluted with hot or cold water, or in cocktails. It is reminiscent of certain long-fermented rums, with their deep, truffled aromas.
Nico's tasting notes
At first, the nose has something lactic about it, very generous and heavy, straight from a long fermentation. We continue to discover the concentration of this shochu with other deep notes of past herbs or resinous aromas, which go as far as blue-veined cheese or charcuterie.
Aeration brings out the ripe, sweet, heavy exotic fruits and black pepper berries. It's these latter that, after a little rest, bring out the sugarcane.
On the palate, the texture is creamy, smooth and as thick as syrup. This echoes the almost milky nuances that characterize this shochu. The cane sugar is tasty on the mid-palate, with iodized notes of olives in brine, caressed by a few sprigs of rosemary.
The finish is peppery, more like fresh sugar cane. The sensation of roundness stayed with us throughout the tasting.
"A shochu that makes an obvious bridge with rum, with a few nods to grand aroma rums..."
