A shochu that inspires everyone! Rich aroma, fine and elegant taste: The iichiko Special, made from barley (mugi), matures for five to seven years after production in untreated wooden barrels and is then blended. The result is a very special shochu with fine notes from the barrel, a unique character and a special depth.
Description
The taste of iichiko Special Shochu stays in the mouth for a long time. Due to the maturation in wooden barrels it has soft vanilla, light oak and spicy notes. The finish is straight with a long lasting aroma. On the palate this Shochu is smooth and piquant. The iichiko Special is made with white koji. In addition, 60 percent polished barley grains are used. Barley is also used for fermentation. This is very rare, as in most cases rice is inoculated with koji. With 30% alcohol the iichiko Special is a very gentle and elegant Shochu. Since 2015, by the way, its taste has also regularly convinced the jury of the renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). It is awarded almost annually in the Shochu categories "Trophy" and "Gold Outstanding". At the Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) in New York, the special has also been winning prizes for years.
iichiko's production facility is located in Hita in the prefecture of Ōita on the island Kyūshū, which is also considered the birthplace of the shochus. In addition to its unmistakable taste, the bottle is extravagantly manufactured and with its slim, fluted and filigree shape it is a real eye-catcher in every home bar.
Shochus from iichiko are the best-selling barley shochus in Japan, and have been for over 30 years. The iichiko Special can be enjoyed straight or on the rocks, and can also be extended with water or soda. In food pairing it goes great with grilled or fried meat and fish, vegetables (such as tempura) and chocolate desserts.
Japanese Shochu
Net quantity: 700 ml
Alk.: 30% vol
Dispensed only to persons of full age
Importer: Ginza Berlin GmbH, Pfalzburger Straße 20, 10719 Berlin
The secret of iichiko
The shochus of iichiko are the most famous and most drunk shochus in Japan. The liquor producer works under the motto "Quality comes first", and you can taste that. Under this motto, iichiko has been producing Shochus of the highest quality (Honkaku Shochu) for many decades. The most important characteristics for the production of shochu are the natural ingredients, in the case of iichiko barley, as well as the water and air used. iichiko's shochus are made from selected grains from which 60 percent of the bran, the hard husks of the cereal grains, are removed. iichiko has its distillery in the prefecture of Ōita, where Japan's third largest island Kyūshū is located, and which is primarily known as the birthplace and home of the shochus. The water there is of special purity and is extracted from 300 meters deep ground water. The region Kyūshū is very mountainous, the air is crystal clear due to the mountains. This is what makes the special taste of iichiko shochus.
