SHOUCHU SCENERIES [Shouchu Hyakkei

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November 11, 2004

Japan’s Leading Bartender gives us the Lowdown on Six Types of Kyoya Shouchu!

Hi! It’s vagabond gastronomer Yamaken here, taking my turn to write the second entry in the blog.
While the main way to drink potato shouchu may be mixing it with hot or cold water, there has also been an increase in those enjoying it on the rocks. For me, this means that people have come to understand the flexibility and potential of shouchu. I have even started to wonder whether it can be used to make cocktails. But then again…I’ve never heard of a potato shouchu based cocktail. Of course there is the white liquor based Chuhai, but that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about cocktails based on original shouchu.
With this question in mind, I asked the staff of one of my favorite haunts, Bar Opa in Monzennaka, to take part in an interview and tasting session. Bar Opa a subsidiary of the famous store based in Ginza. The guy who runs the bar in Monzennaka is Mr. Mizusawa, who as you may know was the overall winner of the National Bartender Contest that was held the other day.
We gave Mizusawa six types of Kyoya shouchu, and asked him and his staff to taste them for us. We also asked him for a bartender’s point of view on the kind of cuisine that would complement these shouchus, and whether he thought potato shouchu would be suitable for making cocktails. A very cushie number…I’m sure you agree!
So with no further adieu, let’s introduce the six shouchus. Here we go…the basic ingredients, processing, and type of malt all revealed in one go! There’s just no end to this fanaticism!

The Shouchus Tasted

	Shouchu	% Alc.	Distillation Method	Malt	Main Ingredient	Preparation
A	Kameshizuku	20	Low Temperature	White	Miyazaki Beni Kotobuki	Peel entirely
B	Superlight Kanro	20	Low Temperature	White	Kogane Sengan	Remove stalk only
C	Kanekyo Kanro	20	Low Temperature	Black	Miyazaki Beni Kotobuki	Remove stalk only
D	Kanro	25	High Temperature	White	Kogane Sengan	Remove stalk only
E	Tokusen Kanro	25	High Temperature	White	Miyazaki Beni Kotobuki	Peel entirely
F	Jidaigura	25	High Temperature	Black	Miyazaki Beni Kotobuki	Peel stripes

(Miyazaki Beni Kotobuki and Kogane Sengan are types of potato)

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Guest taster: Mizusawa Yasuhiko
Born: 1971
Place of Birth: Nagano Prefecture
Credentials: Overall winner of the 31st National Bartender Contest!!

Thanks so much for today! How’s things going?

Well we’ve tasted the six types of shouchu. They are really great potato shouchus aren’t they! I don’t get much of chance to try Japanese liquor, but it’s definitely good. All the staff here got together for a thorough tasting session after shutting up shop.

So, how exactly did you taste the shouchus?

Well, we used special tasting glasses. Starting with straight shouchu, then trying it with just a little water, then with ice, and lastly mixed with water.
Each of the six types are really distinct. For example, the ones which give off an aroma when you add a little water are the Kanekyo Kanro, the Kanro, and the Tokusen Kanro. In fact, especially the Kanro, and Tokusen Kanro. They’re kind of like whiskey, in that if you drink them straight the smell of the alcohol can be so overpowering that you can’t quite catch the real flavor. But if you add just a little water, they release a hidden aroma. They’re really quite intriguing.

Which of the shouchus did you think was the best?

For me, the best was the Kanro. Out of all six types, this one has the best aroma. It brought back these nostalgic memories of the smell at the back of the storeroom at my place back home in Shinshu where we used to keep casks of homemade pickles…I guess it’s the aroma of fermenting that I remember! Actually, the other staff preferred the Tokusen Kanro, but for me the Kanro is the best.

I guess we should tell you that when we passed the six shouchus to Mizusawa, we didn’t tell him which was which. It was actually a blind test…and yet his choice, the Kanro, however, is the most orthodox shouchu. It seems his drinking sense lives up to his great reputation!

Did anything about the other shouchus interest you?

Yeah, actually the Kanekyo Kanro and the Jidaigura Kanro bare an interesting resemblance to vodka. I presume it’s because both of these shouchus are made using black malt. In fact, to be more specific, they are similar to North European vodka. There are actually three types of vodka, North European, American, and Russian. The one that is said to be the most pure and clear is the North European vodka, and it is this one that these shouchus are similar to.

The Superlight Kanro seems to be dominated a little by the alcohol. It’s pretty pungent. In that way, this one is similar to vodka too. As I said, I prefer the Kanro, but among the staff the Tokusen Kanro was the most popular. It certainly had a fruity easy to drink feel to it.

I couldn’t tell whether the method of preparing the main ingredients had much of an effect. Although, if there were two shouchus made from the same main ingredients and by the same distillation methods, then I think I could spot the effect of differences in the method of preparing the main ingredients.

What kind of dishes do you think would complement these shouchus?

Well, I suspected they might go well with potato dishes, so we tried a few, and they were indeed a good complement. For example, even just with normal potato salad the combination of potato with potato had a multiplying effect, and they really complemented each other well.
As I expected, they also went really well with our fried potatoes. We make them Toscana style, fried with garlic and herbs, and the strong flavors make for a really great match. I think it comes down to bringing out the original flavor of the potatoes in these dishes.

So, how about making cocktails with Kyoya shouchu? Do you have any ideas?

I wanted to try some too…but the alcohol content of the shouchus is a little weak for making cocktails. Because the alcohol content is low, when we add other ingredients it becomes really weak, and that kind of defeats the point of making cocktails. At 20~25% alcohol, they aren’t really that suitable for making cocktails.
I kind of think that shouchu is more enjoyable served on it’s own, and not really suited to being mixed with other flavors. For instance, if you add say passion fruit to shouchu, it really just fouls up that distinctive potato flavor. I’m sure that there is something that would really complement these shouchus, but the shouchus themselves need a higher alcohol content to work well in cocktails.

I see…Anyway, moving on…I’d like to ask what kind of thing you as a bartender look for in a shouchu?

Hmm…as a bartender, I really look for something that is a bit coarse and has a strong flavor. Coarse is good! Because then you have something to which you can easily add or remove other ingredients. Also, I really want a shouchu that grabs me as having something that distinguishes it from other drinks.
Kyoya shouchu is on the whole really charming and unpretentious, because basically you just drink it as it is. On the other hand, if you want to make cocktails, then I’d be looking something a little stronger. Hey, it would be great if that was the next stage of development for the Kanro and Tokusen Kanro! Really, I think that these two would be really well received in Tokyo.

Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to share your opinions with us…I know you’re very busy!

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What I found really interesting was that Mizusawa and his staff recommended shouchus made by high temperature distillation. Perhaps it’s because bartenders prefer the stronger aroma achieved by high temperature distillation. Judging from the interview, this could be because when you mix them with other flavors, the strong aroma will remain till the end. In any case, it was great to learn about how the professionals do their tasting. It seems that adding even just a little water can make a great difference. I’ll be trying that out at home next time!
Mizusawa requested stronger shouchu, so I should get in touch with the Kyoya president, Mr. Watanabe, and ask him to dispatch some undiluted liquor! I look forward to trying the cocktails!
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Featured bar/restaurant: Bar Opa (Monzennaka machi)
Address: 204 Nikku Haimu Hachi Man, Tomioka 1-25-4, Koutou-ku, Tokyo-to
TEL: 03-5245-3539

Posted Admin : November 11, 2004 07:02 PM