INTRO
In episode 76 our host Stephen Lyman sits down with chef turned distiller Hamish Nugent of Reed & Co. Distillery to talk trial and error, success, and the very first Australian Shochu.
CREDITS
Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)
Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://www.uncannyrobotpodcast.com/)
HOSTS
CHRISTOPHER PELLEGRINI Vermont born and bred, long-time Tokyo resident and author of The Shochu Handbook, Christopher learned about delicious fermentations as a beer brewer at Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT). He now spends most of his waking hours convincing strangers that shochu and awamori are unlike anything they’ve ever tried before.
STEPHEN LYMAN discovered Japan’s indigenous spirits at an izakaya in New York City. He was so enthralled that he now lives in Japan and works in a tiny craft shochu distillery every autumn. His first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award. He’s also producing a documentary about shochu, The Spirit of Japan, expected to arrive at festivals in 2024.
Stephen and Christopher enjoy seeking out new and interesting shochu distilleries around the world. Their curiosity is definitely peeked by the first Australian Shochu!
If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen via Twitter or Instagram @JapanDistilled. We would love to hear from you.
SHOW NOTES
Australian Shochu
Special Guest Hamish Nugent
Growing up on a biodynamic farm in coastal Australia, it might not be all the surprising to find that Hamish Nugent’s escape from that rural life was through the kitchen. What is less expected is that he and partner Rachel Reed would create the first ever commercial Australian Shochu.
In Bright, Victoria, a ski village of about 2,500 souls, Rachel and Hamish have been successful with hospitality across a number of restaurants and bars, most notably, Tani. Sadly, Tani has now closed, but they now have opened the Reed & Co. Distillery, which includes, of course, a distillery, but also a taproom, restaurant, and bar.
Reed & Co. Distillery
Hamish and Rachel discovered koji during their careers as chefs after being exposed to Japanese culinary traditions through a mentor. The interest grew into making their own soy sauce and miso and even using koji to quick cure meat (an entire side of beef?!?!? – Oh, Australia, don’t ever change). When they decided to open their distillery in 2016, koji spirits were a natural focus, though in this they were humbled.
All they had learned about how to use koji to cure food and create umami in the kitchen did not translate directly to the still. Their early experiments were very mushroom forward, which would be interesting for a first sip, but might not lead you to want another. Nevertheless, they began laying down thousands of liters of shochu and needed something to do with it so they created both a yuzu and a chilli liqueur.
Much more recently, they have released their very first authentic shochu, which also it turns out is the first Australian Shochu, simply called Reed & Co. Distillery Rice Shochu. At 30% ABV and 100% vacuum distilled rice, it should be a nice gateway for the Australian consumer. Retails for $55 AUS for 500ml if you can track it down.
Much More to Explore
If you would like to learn more about Reed & Co. Distillery please visit their website or find them on social media @reedandcodistillery on Instagram and perhaps elsewhere.
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