Samurai No Mon Shochu

Samurai No Mon is the flagship of Ookubo Shuzo, and is available from only 50 retailers in Japan. It is produced using atmospheric distillation. The carefully selected raw materials, the sweet potatoes and the rice for the koji rice, are grown on the company's own "Daiman Nojo" farm in the city of Shibushi in Kagoshima Prefecture. The rice used for Samurai No Mon is a very special rice, as it was only grown until the Meiji era (1868). Specially recreated by Ookubo for this shochu, this rice, in combination with the sweet potatoes and black koji, provides a slightly sweet, spicy and deep umami flavor. Samurai No Mon lingers in the mouth for a long time and has an intense aroma. This shochu is complex and deep. Nevertheless, at 25% vol. it is very smooth and easy to drink. The elegant, black bottle with a banderole on the neck has a label made of fine washi paper.

Samurai No Mon can be enjoyed straight or on the rocks. The Oyuwari drinking method is particularly recommended, i.e. extended with hot water, as this brings out the flavor of the imo extremely well. Samurai No Mon pairs very well with spicy and hearty dishes, roasted, dark fish and meat, but also with really sweet desserts such as cremé brûlée.

Sweet potato shochu
Japanese spirit
Net quantity: 720ml
Alcohol content: 25% vol.
For sale to persons of legal age only
Importer: Ginza Berlin GmbH, Pfalzburger Straße 20, 10719 Berlin

Ookubo Shuzo was founded in 1893 as Kubo Jozo and has been trading under its current name since 1990. The company has also had its own sweet potato production since this time. Ookubo Shuzo is known throughout the country for the good quality of its imos. The distillery also supplies this extremely popular shochu raw material to many other shochu producers in Japan. The company is based in the town of Shibushi, Kagoshima Prefecture, on the Osumi Peninsula at the southern tip of Kyushu Island. Here, Mount Kirishima, a volcano 1,700 meters high, provides excellent conditions for growing high-quality sweet potatoes with its ash. Almost all Imo Shochus are produced in Kagoshima Prefecture. Ookubo Shuzo is a small business, with just 12 people taking care of everything from growing, harvesting and processing the imo to producing the shochu. All work steps are carried out by hand - you can't get more craft than that! A special feature is the revival of the cultivation of a traditional rice variety that was only cultivated until the Meiji era (1868). For 160 years, this rice variety was almost forgotten in Japan until Ookubo Shuzo began to cultivate it again in her fields to use it for some of her shochus, including Samurai No Mon.