The Yanagita Koma Honkaku Barley Shochu

Smooth Shochu treat from Miyazaki
 
Shochu is all the rage in the Land of the rising sun, which means it’s literally big in Japan. It’s a diverse distilled beverage, usually from rice or barley, and has a bit more punch than Sake. The Miyazaki prefecture in southern Japan is famous for its barley Shochu, also known as Mugi. Mugi is slightly less distinctive than its rice cousin, but if you age it, it’s pretty close to a Single Malt.
 
The Yaganita distillery knows a few things about Mugi Shochu as they’ve been making it since 1902. Their ancient methods make sure the smooth barley booze can stand up to the finest Whiskies and say: “Come at me, Kyoudai!” (Yes, it’s “bro” in Japanese.) This beauty is prepared with some help from Koji fungi (which also makes it a Honkaku Shochi) and through slow fermentation at low temepratures. Then, it’s distilled in a  vacuum still, also known as Gen-atsu. This cool beverage is perfect for the cult Highball with soda, or in a Yuzu Sake cocktail Kanpai!