About the distillery : Nishi Shuzo has been established for more than a century and a half in the hills of Kagoshima, in the extreme south of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. It produces shochu from a variety of ingredients, but its specialty is sweet potato shochu, which is traditionally grown in the region. Nishi Shuzo also grows her own sweet potatoes and works closely with local farmers to improve the quality of her products. She took on a formidable challenge, that of producing refined shochus, with remarkable taste qualities, while remaining on traditional methods. Nishi Shuzo has been recognized as the best distillery in Asia at the IWSC. The undisputed leader in the shochus market, it is constantly innovating and installing each of its products as a reference in terms of quality and success.

Detailed tasting notes : The ingredient at the base of Kiccho Houzan is the same as the one used for Tomino Houzan, namely Kagonesengan sweet potatoes. But it is black koji (kuro koji) that is used for the production of this version, a koji native of Okinawa where it is used in the production of the traditional brandy of these islands, awamori. We find powerful notes, strong flavors, smoked, grilled. A shochu rich and intense with beautiful sensations of undergrowth, earthy notes of mushroom, white bean, but also spicy, on vanilla and pepper.

Tasting tips : A shochu to combine with dishes with strong flavors such as truffle, ceps, game, or smoked fish. Perfect as an accompaniment to raw ham, grilled black pork, marbled meat. Consume fresh, on ice, or at room temperature, possibly lengthening it with cold (mizuari) or hot (oyuwari) water.