America
Those clever Californian distillers at St. George Spirits have gone and made their very own shochu! A traditional Japanese rice spirit, St. George have put their own twist on it by using Calrose rice grown in California's Central Valley along with koji. It was inspired by Oakland's Ramen Shop, and as such, it would pair well with ramen and features "Ramen Shop shochu" in kanji on the label (as well as a quote in kanji from the California's state animal, the California grizzly bear - "angry bear sound").
Earthy and vegetal, with touches of walnut and roasted pistachio alongside. Subtle sweetness of brown sugar and creamy vanilla.
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Bought a sample out of curiosity and was not disappointed. Loads of savoury, nutty cereal notes going on. Had neat at fridge temp and it was absolutely delicious. Only dropped it half a star as it is a touch pricey
I purchased my bottle of California Shochu at the distillery itself since I am fortunate enough to live nearby, I was discussing the bottle with the staff there and they told me that the rice is purchased from Takara Sake, who operate the Sho Chiku Bai distillery only a few miles away in Berkeley Sho Chiku Bai is actually my favorite sake, and immediately after opening this bottle you take a strong punch to the nose with an amped up full proof version of the classic Junmai Sake crispness. Because this is distilled from rice and koji mold, there are obvious notes of mushroom and malted rice, very savory with what seems to be pepper lurking around the edges. Very much like drinking a mushroom risotto but much more delicious than that actually sounds! If you're a fan of shochu, give it a try, if not then this may be a little bit pricey but if you enjoy those Junmai sake flavors, it may be worth taking this full proof cousin for a spin
