Toji Junpei Tezukuri Shochu

Maverick Shochu that does it old school

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. While the majority of Shochu makers employ streamlined machine production, there's one maverick that has decided to steer clear of cold bots and create his Spirit the old fashioned way: by hand. His name is Junpei Kanemaru, and he has some pedigree. He's the fifth generation of Shochu makers and in order to restart the family's tradition, he found an old 19th century distillery that still had a license (pretty hard to get in Japan) and started the revolution.

His potion of choice is sweet potatoes Shochu, AKA satsuma-imo. The island of Kyushu is the birthplace of satsuma-imo, introduced back in the Edo period. This species of Shochu is usually strong-flavored and has a distinctive aroma, but Junpei shook things up and created a delicate and light Spirit. Its exquisite character should enchant both the aficionados of Japanese Spirits and the rookies.