EPISODE INTRO
In episode 92 of the Japan Distilled podcast, your hosts Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman take a journey to the Izu Islands to explore Tokyo Shimazake, the latest WTO GI for Honkaku Shochu.
CREDITS
Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)
Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://www.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 particularly enjoy spirits with a distinct sense of place.
If you have any comments or questions about this episode of Japan Distilled, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Instagram. We would love to hear from you.
SHOW NOTES
What is Shimazake?
As we discussed in episode 24 Shimazake (島酒) is literally “island alcohol” with shima (島) meaning “island” and sake (酒) meaning alcohol. In Japan this almost always refers to distilled spirits made on remote islands across the archipelago.
Japan is comprised of 6,842 islands of which 421 are inhabited. The 4 main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu make up the Japanese “mainland” along with quite a few smaller islands connected by bridges or tunnels. The other inhabited islands would be the ones where shimazake might be made.
Tokyo Shimazake
The remote island chain that is technically part of Tokyo make some of the most unique shimazake in Japan. In fact, its so unique to the islands that Tokyo Shimazake is the latest Honkaku Shochu to earn World Trade Organization Geographical Indication status. That’s the same designation awarded to champagne or cognac.
The Izu Islands consist of 9 populated islands with fewer than 24,000 residents. There are event more unpopulated islands, which have either been abandoned or are not sustainably habitable. The 9 populated islands are: Oshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima, Kozushima, Miyakejima, Mikurajima, Hachijojima, and Aogashima.
Of these, Oshima, or Izu Oshima, is both the largest and most populated with over 8,000 residents on 91 square kilometers of land. The smallest by area is Toshima (just 4.1 square kilometers) with a population of around 300. However, the smallest by population is Aogashima with fewer than 200 souls on less than 9 square kilometers of land.
Of these, just 5 of the islands are producing shochu across 8 distilleries.
To qualify for the Tokyo Shimazake GI, shochu made in the Izu Islands must follow these ground rules beyond the standard rules for Honkaku Shochu.
- Made within the Izu Islands
- Made with barley koji
- Made with a secondary barley fermentation or a secondary sweet potato shochu.
- Can be 100% barley shochu, barley koji sweet potato shochu, or a blend of the two.
This immediately became the smallest GI by production volume among Japanese spirits. While there are only 7 distilleries making Iki Shochu (a GI for rice koji barley shochu from Nagasaki’s Iki Island), several Iki makers have grown quite large while all of the Tokyo Shimazake producers are quite small by comparison.
In Aogashima they are even growing wild koji from palm fronds laid across the freshly steamed barley. While wild koji is being experimented with in Kyushu and Okinawa, its not something that finds itself into commercial bottlings very often.
History of Tokyo Shimazake
The Izu islands were treated as prison islands during the Edo Period.
Shoemon Tanso, a Satsuma (Kagoshima) merchant, was exiled to Hachijojima in 1853 for illicit trade with the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa). He brought sweet potatoes and knowledge of shochu making to the islands, which quickly became part of their local gustatory traditions.
Recommended Tokyo Shimazake Brands
Shima Nagashi 35% ABV is one of Christopher’s favorite Tokyo Shimazake brands, a blend of both barley and barley-sweet potato shochu.
Jonnalie barrel-aged Barley Shochu (25% ABV) is a favorite among fans of Tokyo Shimazake.
Kuro Shio 25% ABV barley shochu is a Tokyo Shimazake named after the famed sea current that was used to carry vessels from Kyushu to the Izu Islands.
Takeshiba Port (ferry terminal) gift shop has a wonderful selection in Tokyo, but most good liquor stores in Tokyo will carry at least a handful of brands.
Much More to Explore
This episode just scratches the surface of Tokyo Shimazake. Definitely worth exploring if you find yourself in Tokyo!
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