About the distillery : Nishi Shuzo has been established for more than a century and a half in the hills of Kagoshima, in the far south of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. She produces shochu from different ingredients, but her specialty is the sweet potato shochu whose culture is traditional in the region. Nishi Shuzo grows her own sweet potatoes and works closely with local farmers to improve the quality of her products. She took up a formidable challenge, that of producing refined shochus, with remarkable taste qualities, while remaining on traditional methods. Nishi Shuzo was recognized as the best distillery in Asia at the IWSC. Undisputed leader in the shochus market, it has never stopped innovating and installing each of its products at the benchmark in terms of quality and success.

Detailed tasting notes : An icon among the shochus, and the must-see of the Houzan family. On a base of kuro koji (black koji) and sweet potato, it is distilled in a still specially designed for shochu. The idea is to find the flavors of the ingredients in the final product. We find deep sweet potato aromas, evoking roasted chestnut, cereals, a round mouth contrasted by a strong impact of the black koji used in its elaboration. A well structured product that will undoubtedly delight all fans of classic shochu !

Tasting tips : To consume as is, on ice or, Japanese style, lengthening it with cold water (mizuari) or hot (oyuwari) depending on the seasons and occasions. Satsuma Houzan is also a cocktail base, prepared in combination with fresh fruit.