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[Purely Original] Kyushu Shochu made from naturally grown rice 720ml

[Purely Original] Kyushu Shochu made from naturally grown rice 720ml

Regular price ¥3,400
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* "Drinking alcohol under the age of 20 is prohibited by law. We cannot accept applications from minors."

Since its establishment, the company has been committed to making its products entirely by hand.

Taragi Town, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture.

This is where Nasu Brewery is located, where Purely's original rice shochu "Kyushu" is brewed.

This is one of the breweries of Kuma Shochu, a global brand, and the shochu is made by a family run business, with each process carried out by hand without relying on machines.

The brewery was founded in 1915, and the current head brewer is Yusuke Nasu, the fourth generation.

Shochu is made entirely by hand, rather than by mass production using machines.

They make shochu little by little, sensing the presence of the shochu and communicating with it, so as not to exceed the limits of human control.

Numerous awards received.

Nasu Sake Brewery is a talented shochu brewery that has been named the best rice shochu brewer in Japan for two consecutive years.

The process of making rice shochu begins with washing the rice, which is the raw material.

Using wooden barrels that have been in use since the company was founded, the rice is washed by hand, soaked in water, transferred to a colander and dried in the sun.

While most rice is washed in one go using a machine, Nasu uses his "artisan's intuition" to wash the rice, making subtle adjustments to each type of rice.

"We change the degree of washing slightly depending on the rice grower, the variety, and the condition of the rice. This subtle adjustment, made with intuition, affects the final shochu."

Washing rice by hand. The rice is washed carefully using a wooden bucket.

Drain the washed rice using a wooden colander.

The washed rice is hung out in the sun to dry.

Just washing and drying the rice is extremely hard work.

After washing the rice, it is steamed in a large wooden barrel.

This steaming process is not just simple steaming.

"Depending on the condition of the rice, I mix it, add water, or change the time.

Here too, subtle adjustments are made depending on the type of rice." I was amazed at how much effort and skill the craftsman puts into just the act of washing and steaming the rice.

Rice is steamed slowly in a wooden barrel that has been used for a long time.

Rice steamed in a wooden barrel. The gentle flavor of the rice comes through.

The steamed rice is cooled and then transferred to the stone chamber in a basket.

"Morofuda Koji method" using precious cedar wood

The steamed rice is then cooled to the appropriate temperature and placed in a stone chamber to make koji.

At Nasu Sake Brewery, we make koji using the "Morofuda Koji" method, which is the most complex method of koji making and requires the most skilled techniques.

First, rice is laid on the floor in the center of the stone chamber, sprinkled with koji mold, and mixed well by hand.

Koji mold is sprinkled on the rice that is laid out on the floor.

Rub the koji mold into the rice thoroughly.

After leaving it to sit for a day and night, the resulting rice koji is divided into small portions and placed into individual lids.

A morofuda is a small, flat wooden box, and Nasu Sake Brewery uses morofuda made from cedar, a wood that is extremely rare throughout the country.

After that, the rice koji is divided into small portions and left to sit for another day and night, and each portion is cared for several times to produce even, fine-grained koji.

Divide the rice koji into small portions and place them among the lids.

We stir and reposition it several times a day, and take great care of it.

In this way, with great time, effort and care, the best koji is produced for making delicious shochu.

The finished rice koji. The perfect rice koji for shochu production is now complete.

Traditional brewing in earthenware jars

Once the rice koji is ready, it's time to prepare the mash in an earthenware jar.

Moromi is the main ingredient of rice shochu, made by fermenting rice koji with water and yeast.

Since its founding, Nasu Sake Brewery has been brewing mash in earthenware jars.

This is a brewing method in which fermentation takes place in earthenware jars buried underground.

The rice koji made in the stone chamber, the rich groundwater from the Kuma River vein, and yeast are placed into an earthenware jar and left to ferment for over a week (the first brewing process).

Brewing in earthenware jars. Since our founding, we have been committed to brewing all our sake in earthenware jars.

Fermentation in earthenware jars. We continue to use the same earthenware jars that we have had since our founding, carefully repairing them as we go.

After the first brewing, additional steamed rice and water are added to the jar and left to ferment for another two weeks or more (=second brewing).

At Nasu Sake Brewery, both the first and second brewing processes are carried out entirely in earthenware jars.

Add steamed rice for the second preparation.

Nowadays, even shochu breweries that use earthenware jars for brewing are rare, and there are almost no breweries in the country that use them for both the first and second brewing. "No one makes large domestic earthenware jars these days. We have repaired them many times since our founding, and continue to use them with great care."

Periodically, the mixture is stirred by using a paddle.

Fermentation in earthenware jars creates various effects, such as the convection effect caused by the round shape of the jar, as well as the breathability and magnetic properties of the jar, resulting in a deep, rich, yet mellow flavor that is easy on the palate.

"During the brewing season, from November to April, you can hear the crackling of the mash fermenting in the earthenware pots. The air is filled with a delicious, sweet vanilla-like aroma."

The finished moromi has a nice sweet vanilla-like smell.

After a first and second brewing process in earthenware jars that lasts for more than 20 days, the mash is finally complete.

The finished moromi has a thick liquid made from rice and a sweet, delicious smell.

The mash is placed in a distiller and heated with steam to extract only the shochu ingredients.

The distiller is the only machine in Nasu Brewery. It distills only the ingredients for shochu.

Approximately 300 kg of rice can produce about 300 liters of shochu with an alcohol content of about 43%.

This distiller appears to be the only machine at Nasu Brewery.

Other than this process, most of the work is done by hand, the old-fashioned way.

"There's nothing that uses electricity in this brewery, except for the bottle washer (laughs)." From this casual comment we can sense his strong commitment to "handmade" products.

"Kyushu" is born after a long period of aging and aging in oak barrels.

Freshly distilled shochu still retains a rough flavor.

For this reason, it is aged through long periods of storage to enhance its sweetness, mellowness, and flavor.

The shochu is stored for a long period of time, over a period of around three months, with repeated stirring and using the skill and intuition of the craftsmen to ensure ideal maturation.

And finally, the rice shochu, all of which is brewed by hand in an earthenware jar, is complete.

This rice shochu is delicious enough in its current state, but Purely's original rice shochu "Kyushu" goes through an extra step: it is aged for a long period in special oak barrels.

Aged for a long time in oak barrels, it acquires oak flavor and color.

The finished rice shochu is transferred to oak barrels and allowed to age for about six months to over a year.

In this way, Purely's original rice shochu "Kyushu" was made, combining a great deal of time, effort, skill, and a passion for making rice shochu.

Aging for an even longer period in oak barrels gives the whisky an oak aroma and flavor, as well as a beautiful amber color.

The moment you put it in your mouth, the flavor spreads and the scent of wood fills your nose.

Even those who don't like rice shochu will surely love it after just one sip.

Kyushu is a genuine rice shochu that is perfect for yourself, or as a gift or souvenir. Please give it a try.

*About sediment

Sediment may be found in shochu, but this is a flavor component and does not affect the quality. In order to retain the flavor components, we do not over-filter the product. This is oil contained in the raw rice, so it tends to solidify when the temperature is low and appears to be in large amounts. If you leave it in a warm room temperature, it will dissolve more easily into the shochu. Also, the inside of the brewing barrel is baked, which can result in dark-colored sediment.

商品ロット

12

Varieties

Producer

Producing area

Taragi, Kumamoto Prefecture

Farming method

Species Information

Size and Capacity

720ml

raw materials

Rice (Kumamoto Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture)
Rice malt (Kumamoto Prefecture)

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