Podcast

INTRO

In episode 81 our host Stephen Lyman is joined by founder of Nankai Shochu, the first kokuto sugar shochu developed specifically for the US market.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.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.

Stephen and Christopher have a deep admiration for people who chase their dreams of bringing Japanese spirits to foreign markets.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Twitter. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Special Guest Paul Nakayama

Los Angeles native Paul Nakayama worked in tech before he and his wife Mai honeymooned on her home island of Amami Oshima. That 2015 trip changed everything when they happened to meet the chairman of Machida Distillery at an izakaya after a day of outdoor adventure. Within three years they had given up their day jobs to start Nankai Shochu.

Nankai Shochu

As a nod to the California shochu laws (listen to episodes 40 and 77) when they launched the brand, Nankai Shochu was born as a 24% vacuum distilled kokuto sugar shochu. They soon followed with Nankai Gold (barrel aged, undiluted, 43% ABV) and Nankai White Oak (barrel aged, proofed down to 24%). All 3 expressions have won gold or double gold at Los Angeles, World Spirits, or Spirits Business competitions.

Early on cocktails have been a big part of their sales strategy and that continues through to today with dozens of recipes available on their website and Instagram.

They have found an excellent partner in Machida Distillery and have no plans to move beyond them for their kokuto shochu offerings.

Nikaido Shochu

Of course, success begets success and they were approached by Nikaido 100% barley shochu out of Oita, the first national shochu brand in Japan back in the 1970s. Despite this early success, Nikaido has never had a particularly strong presence in the US market. They turned to Paul and Mai to correct that oversight.

And did they ever hit the ground running, placing Nikaido in the club level lounge at Dodgers Stadium, to our knowledge the first ever shochu available at a Major League Baseball stadium. As big baseball fans, we at Japan Distilled podcast are super excited about this!

Much More to Explore

As always, there is more to learn from listening to the episode or following Stephen, Christopher, and Paul on social media.

Kanpai!

INTRO

In episode 80, our hosts take a deeper look at The SG Shochu from The SG Group, lead by internationally recognized bartender, Shingo Gokan.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.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.

Stephen and Christopher are big fans of everything Shingo Gokan is doing and The SG Shochu is no exception.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Instgram. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Shingo Gokan

It’s hard to imagine another Japanese bartender who has had more international influence over the past 15 years than Shingo Gokan. Winning the 2012 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition put him on the map, but since that time he’s grabbed the bull by the horns and turned that notoriety in to a stellar career. Between running NYC’s Angel’s Share during its heyday to opening the first speakeasy in Shanghai to winning awards around the world, he’s truly one of the most decorated modern bartenders globally.

Shingo’s SG Group now has perhaps a dozen bars (it’s honestly hard to keep track) in 3 countries on 2 continents. Today the majority are clustered in a single neighborhood in Tokyo, on a hill just northwest of Shibuya Station. Sip & Guzzle, SG Low, SG Club, and Bellwood among others. There is sitll a nice collection in Shanghai, China as well including his flagship Speak Low. Not that long ago El Lequio opened in Okinawa, but the most recent entry as of this writing is Sip & Guzzle in the West Village, Manhattan.

However, Shingo and his powerhouse bar group are never content to sit on their laurels. They recently released The SG Shochu internationally.

The SG Shochu

This trio (for now) of Honkaku Shochu were developed by Shingo and his team in cooperation with three of the titans of the shochu industry in Japan. The SG Shochu (“The” is intentional) line was designed with cocktails in mind and each of the three expressions was formulated to express completely differently from its stablemates.

SG KOME The SG Shochu Kome is a 40% ABV rice shochu created in collaboration with Takahashi Distillery in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto. This Kuma Shochu is made with 100% locally grown rice and sake yeast, giving it a beautiful bright, floral and fruity aroma. This vacuum distilled rice shochu made with premium sake yeast and only lightly filtered has beautiful aroma and a lush mouth feel.

SG IMO The SG Shochu Imo is a 38% ABV purple sweet potato shochu formulated in collaboration with Satuma Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture. This Satsuma Shochu is made with locally grown sweet potatoes and blended into a beautifully aromatic flavor bomb.

SG MUGI The SG Shochu Mugi is a 40% ABV 100% barley shochu created in collaboration with the granddaddy of all barley shochu makers, Sanwa Shurui. The only barrel aged among the trio, this presents almost like a light whisky, but with all of koji flavor and barley aroma you’d expect from a prefectly blended barley shochu from Sanwa.

A Bartender’s Dream

If there’s been a constant refrain from bartenders over the years with regard to shochu’s utility as a cocktail base it would be “but the low alcohol” … and The SG Shochu completely strips that from the equation with 38-40% ABV honkaku shochu that gives you all of the flavor with more of the booze to give drinks the structure they deserve.

If there is a knock on The SG Shochu as it comes to market, it has to be the price. In gorgeous bespoke glass, premium labels, and high ABV, it faces a tough headwind in a world where <$1/oz is expected from virtually all bars around the US at least. But this is where Shingo’s star power may be just what the brand needs. They do not appear to be targeting your local neighborhood cocktail bar, but some of the top bars in the world that can absorb a more expensive base spirit if its going to make the drink shine.

Much More to Explore

As you can probably tell, we are huge fans of Shingo and the SG Group. Our hope is that The SG Shochu serves as a vangaurd for driving shochu into the stratosphere outside of Japan.

Kanpai!

INTRO

In episode 79 our hosts are back in the studio to talk about gateway shochu brands and simple service styles to help introduce these spirits to unfamiliar drinkers.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.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.

Stephen and Christopher never tire of introducing these spirits to new fans.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Instgram. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Gateway Shochu

Given how unfamiliar a single pot distilled spirit made from agricultural products that many outside of Japan do not usually drink (think sweet potatoes, radishes, carrots, and seaweed), we decided to introduce 6 brands that may be good gateway shochu for those unfamiliar with the category or that those of you who are already fans of the category can use to introduce your friends and fmaily.

Stephen’s 3 brands were:

iichiko (100% barley shochu, Sanwa Shurui, Oita Prefecture, 25% ABV) The best selling barley shochu brand in the world, iichiko was literally Stephen’s gateway shochu. The first one that he ever tried and he still drinks it today.

Kawabe (100% rice shochu, Sengetsu Distillery, Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, 25% ABV) This vacuum distilled rice shochu made with premium sake yeast and only lightly filtered has beautiful aroma and a lush mouth feel.

Daiyame (sweet potato shochu, Hamada Distillery, Kagoshima Prefecture, 25% or 40% ABV available) This is one of the modern style of sweet potato shochu made with a vacuum still and intended to play well with sparkling water in a highball. Daimaye may be a prefect gateway shochu for sweet potato, because it has none of the funk we know and love in traditional sweet potato shochu. Instead it tastes of lychee and lychee only.

Christopher’s 3 brands were:

Aokage (100% barley shochu, Yanagita Distillery, Miyazaki Prefecture, 25% ABV) Aokage is a full bodied (read: atmospheric distilled) barley shochu that expresses as a roasted barley shochu, but the grain itself is not roasted. Robust, but with highly familiar flavor and aromas reminiscent of dark chocolate and coffee.

Shigemasu (sake lees shochu, Takahashi Shoten Brewery, Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, 30.5% ABV) Shigemasu is a vacuum distilled sake lees, or kasutori, shochu made with premium daiginjo sake lees, which are re-fermented over yellow koji-inoculated steamed rice for 4 days before distillation. A ginjo-bomb.

Nankai (kokuto sugar shochu, Machida Distillery, Amami Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, 24%) This vacuum distilled kokuto sugar shochu is privately bottled for the US market and imported directly to Los Angeles, but is beginning to gain a larger footprint in the US. Very easy drinking and a nice representation of the style. If higher proof or barrel aging are more your thing, Nankai Gold (43% ABV) is a thing of beauty, though its priced a fair amount above the main Nankai brand due to the angel’s share and higher excise taxes on higher proof spirits.

Simple Serves

If you have listened long enough you know that Christopher and Stephen adore traditional shochu service, but we have also realized that this is not always the best way forward when trying to create new fans. Therefore, we have a few recommended service styles that should be easy and fun.

Boilermaker The classic shot and a beer. In this case, a crisp Japanese lager (Orion from Okinawa or Sapporo from Hokkaido would be our top choices) along with a big full bodied shochu or awamori. Our current obsession is Yokka Koji from Chuko Distillery served as a frozen shot. So good. But really anything works, though freezing the bottles definitely makes for a more memorable experience.

Highball This should come as a surprise to nobody, because highballs have become extremely popular, but this was not even really considered a standard service style a decade ago. Today every izakaya in Japan has sparkling water available for shochu dilution.

Simple Cocktail Riffs Even at 25% ABV, many shochu stand up as a low alcohol cocktail alternatives for base spirits. Stephen loves putting sweet potato shochu or roasted barley shochu as a gin replacement in his negronis. Much less booze with great flavor. Shingo Gokan has started serving sweet potato shochu martinis at his bars. Christopher introduces a riff on an iceless tea punch on the episode as well.

Pre-diluted, served chilled. Ever since episode 33 when Joshin Atone described shochu as a “risky spirit” Stephen’s been thinking about this challenge. What he’s recently hit on is a riff on a very traditional serve. The “maewari” or pre-diluated shochu serve. Typically maewari is heated before service or poured over ice in Japan, but in this case Stephen recommends chilling the bottle and serving it in a white wine glass. This works great for food pairing experiences. Just need to play with the ratios for each brand to find where it expresses best.

Much More to Explore

Quick question. What are your favorite gateway shochu or simple serves for these spirits?

Kanpai!

INTRO

In episode 78 our host Stephen Lyman is joined by co-author of The Bartender’s Pantry, bartender, bar owner, introvert, and writer Jim Meehan.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://uncannyjapan.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.

Stephen and Christopher have a deep admiration for people who are successful in hospitality.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Twitter. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

Special Guest Jim Meehan

Jim’s bar tending career has spanned nearly 30 years from Madison, Wisconsin to NYC to Portland, Oregon. His 3rd book, The Bartender’s Pantry (released June 11, 2024), co-written with Emma Janzen (episode 71) is a must-have for any home bartender.

Jim began bar tending as a college student in Madison, Wisconsin where he fell in love with hospitality. He realized NYC was the epicenter for craft cocktails so moved there in 2002. Soon hew as working at the legendary Pegu Club and Gramcery Tavern before opening his own bar, PDT (Please Don’t Tell).

PDT put Jim firmly on the map as one of the bright young stars of the NY bar scene, which led to his first book, The PDT Cocktail Book (2011). His 2nd book, Meehan’s Bartender Manual, won a James Beard Award.

Today he and his family live in Portland, Oregon where he helped Japanese outdoor company Snow Peak open Takibi, an izakaya on the ground floor of their US headquarters (currently closed due to a kitchen fire). Rather than try to create a Japanese spirits focused bar program in Portland, he opted for the “spirit” of a Japanese bar experience, focusing on locally sourced drinks and Japanese accents.

Much More to Explore

As always, there is more to learn from listening to the episode or following Stephen, Christopher, and Jim on social media. You can find Jim @mixography on Instagram or at his website, mixographyinc.com.

Kanpai!