What You Need to Know About Shochu

Shochu may not yet have the international recognition the traditional Japanese spirit deserves, but Nehan Spirits is working hard to change this with its high-quality line of Mizu Shochus.

These “harvest made” premium spirits have become an ambassador for the larger category, elevating it by using local ingredients and ancient techniques to show the true versatility of shochu.

Born out of the passion of Nehan Spirits’ founders Jesse Falowitz and Teppei Jeremy Kono, Mizu Shochu showcases the potential of true high-quality shochus. Unfortunately, while sushi and sake together were hand in hand in taking the Western world by storm in the ‘90s and Japanese whisky suddenly blew up in popularity, shochu was left out of the conversation. Ironically, in Japan at that time, sake had been relegated to being considered an “old person’s drink” and artisanal shochu was experiencing a renaissance. However, the founders realized that this boom had not managed to make an impact outside the country.

“The real fire for us happened every time we stepped foot in a bar; a speakeasy, a lounge, nightclub, a bar-bar, but specifically bars framed around Western conventions. Shochu was nowhere to be found,” Falowitz says. In bar after bar in Asia and beyond, the landscape was dominated by vodka, rum, and whiskey. “Asian spirits for that matter… were nowhere to be found.”

The light bulb went off in 2009 and two years later, in 2011, they would partner with Munemasa Shuzo Co. of Arita, Japan. Though their modern distillery was established in 1985, Munemasa has a long legacy of artisanship, having originally been founded in the late 1800s in Hiroshima before shuttering due to World War Two. Today, master distillers Hirofumi Okoba and Shinji Wada oversee the production and ensure the highest level of quality in the spirits.

Working with local farmers, Mizu is crafted in the traditional “honkaku” style through a single distillation designed to better capture the natural essence and richness of the harvest with a greater complexity great for craft cocktails.

“Deep and nuanced, Mizu is crafted for the shochu aficionado, the international bartender, and the spirits adventurist,” Falowitz says.

Unlike the large commercial shochus bottled at 25%, produced largely as inoffensive offerings designed for long business dinners and social occasions, Mizu Shochu is meant to show off the true character of traditional shochu historically bottled at 30-45% abv.

Nehan Spirts offers four different shochus all bottled at 35% abv, from their signature Saga Barley distilled from Japanese two-rowed barley, black koji rice, and the pure waters of Black Hair Mountain to versions crafted with lemongrass or green tea, both grown nearby. The Sakura Cask shochu has been finished for at least 9 months in medium char yamazakura “wild mountain cherry” casks produced at a famed local cooperage.

“We’re extremely proud to be at the vanguard of a movement that is gaining a lot of buzz and fanfare,” says Falowitz.

“I hope we can continue to delight our customers with excellence, integrity and creativity for many years to come.”

THE MODERN CLASSICS:

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