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November 11, 2004

“Shouchu Hyakkei - Sasazoushi” Open for Business

There is an unprecedented original shouchu boom going on. Original shouchu, also known as Grade B shouchu, has recently become incredibly popular - especially potato shouchu. It wasn' t long ago when most people' s opinion of shouchu was that it was…well to put it bluntly…quite smelly. Nowadays, that aroma is associated with the distinctive and wondrous taste of potato shouchu, and all over the place one can find bars and restaurants opening with signs that advertise shouchu premieres. According to statistics, sales of shouchu increased, despite the fact that there was an all round drop in the momentum of non-sparkling alcoholic beverage sales. Major breweries moved into the original shouchu market at such a rate that it soon became difficult to procure the potatoes which constitute the main ingredient.
Converse to what might be one' s initial expectations, there were people who did not welcome this situation…“Will the so-called shouchu boom be continuing in another five years time? As production increases, manufacturing will most likely be simplified, potatoes suitable for use as the main ingredient will be imported, and the overall manufacturing methods will change. If this leads to a drop in quality, then that will in turn surely cause a decrease in customers. Rather than creating mountains of shouchu, I would prefer it if they followed the time-proven methods of brewing quality shouchu that meets the standards, and create a more deep and defined shouchu culture,” is the message from Mr. Watanabe, the president of Kyoya, the Miyazaki based brewery responsible for the famous shouchu “Kanro” of south Japan.
While large breweries and convenience stores strike huge deals, and change the manufacturing processes, Kyoya Brewery maintains the quality of its ingredients and its faith in the historical brewing methods. That is the pride of passing brewing methods from generation to generation, and the reflection of an image strong in its intention to continue to correctly pass on shouchu culture into the next 10 and 20 years.

As for me, well I am nothing but a gluttonous shouchu loving drop out! I' ve known the president of Kyoya, Mr. Watanabe, for about five years now. I' ve never helped them out with anything work related before…I just love shouchu, and that is the reason why I am here today. Kyoya brewery said that they wanted to create “A blog to take another good and proper look at shouchu culture”. And without hesitation, I volunteered because I wanted to help out to the best of my ability.
The blog is titled “Shouchu Hyakkei: Sasazoushi”, and it was launched to hunt for the many ways people can chill out and enjoy shouchu, without being tied down within the bounds of convention and culture. We felt that “Shouchu Hyakkei” defines the spirit of the blog. In Japanese “Shouchu Hyakkei” means the many aspects or scenes of shouchu. However, we' re also going to be covering lots of other topics too! It' s not just for the hardcore shouchu fanatics! We' ll be getting merry, trying fine shouchu and food at all sorts of places…and there' ll be lots of other stories to tell too! With this in mind, we also wanted to include “Sasazoushi” in the blog title. “Sasa” is a more unusual reading of the Japanese kanji character for “sake”, and “zoushi” refers to a collection of pieces of paper bound together to form a book or diary. In the same way, we hope that this blog will become a collection of great and varied experiences!!
Over the coming months in “Shouchu Hyakkei - Sasazoushi”, we hope to delve into various interesting topics related to food and drink. The following are just some of the things we hope to cover!

Experiments in Gastronomy - Shouchu and Dish X…Do they go well together?
The Insider - We get behind the scenes at well-known bars and restaurants, and ask the chefs to suggest their ideas for dishes that go well with shouchu
Industrial Secrets - See the secrets behind the making of potato shouchu!!
Japanese Shouchu Culture - we ask whether it is making it overseas?

Bringing you all this and more, will be me Yamaken, your vagabond gastronomist, and Chie, sake connoisseur and aspiring wine expert. We hope that you get to know us over the next couple months!

Posted Admin : November 11, 2004 06:52 PM