Sato No Akebono Genshu Shochu: Gold at the prestigious IWSC

The Sato No Akebono Genshu Shochu won the gold medal in the shochu category at the IWSC 2021. This great shochu made from brown sugar (kokuto) is of course available from us! 

https://ginza-berlin.com/collections/brauner-zucker-shochu-kokuto/products/akebono-genshu 

Kokuto is an unrefined cane sugar product. The Sato No Akebono Genshu Shochu in which it is used is a Genshu Shochu, i.e. an undiluted Shochu. This means that no water is added after distillation. As a result, it has an alcohol content of 43% by volume, which is very high for a shochu. The main ingredient, brown sugar, and the maturation period of more than 3 years in steel tanks ensure an extremely complex and round taste. The main difference to rum is the use of koji in the production process, in this case it is white koji. It is also a honkaku shochu, i.e. a real shochu that is only distilled once. Distillation is carried out using vacuum distillation, which brings out the fruity notes of the koji beautifully. The spicy sweetness of the brown sugar and the mild taste are clearly noticeable. But don't worry: although it is fermented with brown sugar with rice koji and yeast, and has a unique sweet smell, the sugar content of Kokuto Shochu is actually zero after distillation.

Incidentally, this shochu is a real loop collector. It already impressed at the IWSC in Los Angeles in 2018, where it won gold for best shochu. In 2020, the Sato No Akebono received the silver medal at the Craft Spirits Awards in Berlin. And in 2021, it also won the gold medal at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC).