Taking a...

When a milestone is achieved, it’s good to reward oneself. In this case I opened this 6 year old bottle of Zuisen 43% ABV kusu awamori (瑞泉古酒泡盛) served here straight in a gari-gari (ガリガリ), the traditional service style for awamori. #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #kanpai #kampai #awamori #shochu #zuisen #okinawa #japan #nycdrinks #uminoie #izakaya #distilled #cooljapan #craftspirits #imbibe #foodandwine #瑞泉 #泡盛 #古酒 #古酒泡盛 #沖縄 #居酒屋 #乾杯 #海の家 #うみのいえ (at Uminoie)

Very happy that @hi_collar has #shochu. This daytime coffee shop and night time sake bar has now gotten a hard license. To respect their sake roots I ordered Tori Kai, the only shochu produced as a true ginjo sake - yellow koji & a 40+ day 3 step fermentation at low temperature. The resulting shochu is elegant, refined, and luscious. I first tried it with sparkling water and later on the rocks. #shochu #drinkingjapan #japandrinks #highball #cocktail #sake #sakebar #hicollar #nydrinks #drinkingnyc #ev #eastvillage #kampai #kanpai #焼酎 #熊焼酎 #熊本 くま焼酎 #ハイカラ #お酒 #吟醸酒 #麹 (at HI-Collar)

Today marked the second ever English language certified shochu adviser course and the first taught on the East Coast. As the first graduate of the first course taught in LA in 2015 it was a real treat to serve as the teaching assistant to @ueno_toshio for an incredible group of 18 students from as far away as Spain. They’re certainly brave. When I took the course we had instruction and tasting over 8 hours and then a week to study for the exam. Today they had 7 hours of instruction and tasted through these 19 shochu and are now taking their exam. Good luck to all of them! #shochu #sakeschoolofamerica #sakeschool #shochuschool #shochuadviser #studying #backtoschool #distilled #imbibe #sommelier #foodandwine #kanpai #kampai #焼酎 #乾杯 #勉強 #泡盛 #薩摩焼酎 #さつまいも #さつま焼酎 #さつま芋 #麦焼酎 #米焼酎 #そば焼酎 #黒糖焼酎 #麹 #頑張って (at Secaucus, New Jersey)

Quick stop over in LA on my way back from Japan included an excellent dinner @shibumidtla w @ksvenice @nedkiss1 @bret_insta in which I nearly fell asleep in my soup. Monday brought a very productive meeting with @ueno_toshio at Sake School of America (and a Mexican lunch you can see on his IG), a fun meeting with @nankaishochuofficial which was paired with Korean fried chicken and included picklebacks (don’t ask) followed by a quick meeting w @bret_insta & @miwaaiba, and get away charcoal grilled yakitori in Torrance before a red eye back to NYC. I’ll tell you more about @nankaishochuofficial #shochu later. Suffice to say it’s an easy drinking vacuum distilled kokuto (brown/black sugar) shochu from Amami. I think @shochujazzer and @elliott_hall are going to love it. #kanpai #kampai #laeats #dtlaeats #shibumi #koreanfriedchicken #shochu #dtla #nankaishochu #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #乾杯 #焼酎 #黒糖焼酎 #からあげ (at Seoul Sausage Company)

A Yamatozakura snack bar? It wouldn’t be out of place in Brooklyn. The “mama-san” is about 30 and clearly isn’t a traditional hostess. Just a bar really with amazing hospitality and drinks. #japanawaits #foodandwine #drinkingjapan #japandrinks #imbibe #bar #bars #japanesebar #snack #snackbar #fukuoka #kyushu #japan #スナック #スナックバー #福岡 #大和桜 #大和桜酒造 #焼酎 #芋焼酎 #いも焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #薩摩焼酎 #市来焼酎 ##乾杯 (at 日本號)

Every so often you find an unexpected treat in an unexpected place. Here it was a sardine stuffed with spicy cod roe (イワシ明太子) and then roasted. Salt, heat, umami, and ocean brine. This was served as part of a coursed post-work dinner in the restaurant owned by @kino.sake’s family. His brother cooks and his mother runs the show. Set in a beautiful old Japanese house around the corner from Kitaya Sake Brewery in Yame, Fukuoka. Would have paired well with their kasutori shochu, but I had to participate in an English language workshop afterward so I did not partake. #shochu #kasutori #fukuoka #japanawaits #japaneats #foodandwine #eatingjapan #eater #foodie #gourmet #sardines #codroe #mentaiko #iwashi #乾杯 #イワシ #明太子 #居酒屋 #焼酎 #福岡 (at 酒邸 吟乃香)

Shochu is a matter of scale. Here at iichiko’s Hita distillery in Oita Prefecture, a first fermentation is built in a 40,000 liter tank. Next to it the previous day’s fermentation bubbles away. Iichiko bottles up to 250,000 liters of shochu every day while Yamatozakura bottles about 40,000 liters a year. And iichiko is not the largest shochu maker. But their blended 100% barley shochu is light and floral and so easy drinking. #shochu #iichiko #distilled #craftspirits #oita #barleyshochu #mugishochu #kampai #kanpai #drinkingjapan #japandrinks #焼酎 #いいちこ #大分焼酎 #麦焼酎 #全麦焼酎 #乾杯 (at いいちこ日田蒸留所)

The airplane size bottles of booze have long left the American consciousness but you can still get these adorable 100ml bottles of shochu all over Japan. Business card and glasses for scale. It’s especially nice when your friend who just visited Okinawa brings Zuisen back for you. @__yugiha__ ありがとうございます！#japanawaits #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #awamori #zuisen #okinawa #minibottle #craftspirits #craftsman #craftsmanship #imbibe #foodandwine #distilled #spirits #泡盛 #沖縄 #乾杯 #瑞泉 #kanpai #kampai (at Canal City Hakata)

Day 2 at Kitaya in Yame City. It may not look like much, but the "ginjoka" (aroma emanating from the ginjo grade sake yeast) coming off this kasutori (sake lees) shochu ferment is divine. Kitaya manages to capture this aroma in the final distillate by using a vacuum still to full effect. Kudos to @msamuels1212 for teaching me "ginjoka" in the first place. #shochu #kasutori #sake #sakelees #sakekasu #kitaya #ginjo #daiginjo #junmai #yame #fukuoka #ginjoka #焼酎 #粕取り焼酎 #粕取り #お酒 #清酒 #日本酒 #麹 #九州 #乾杯 福岡 #八女市 #喜多屋 (at 喜多屋：日本酒と本格焼酎、福岡・八女の蔵元)

Day 1 at Kitaya Brewery and Distillery, we distilled one batch of shochu made from sake lees (leftover solids after sake pressing) and began another fermentation. Here the the distillery foreman prepares the fermentation tank as bags of daiginjo grade (50% polished) sake lees await. #japanawaits #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #foodandwine #imbibe #distilled #craftspirits #craftsmanship #craftsman #fukuoka #yamecity #sake #sakelees #sakekasu #kasutori #shochu #rice #riceshochu #komeshochu #kitaya #daiginjo #ginjo #junmai #nihonshu #makingshochu #seishu #焼酎 #粕取り焼酎 #清酒 #お酒 #日本酒 #麹 #酒粕 #さなぶり焼酎 #福岡 (at 喜多屋：日本酒と本格焼酎、福岡・八女の蔵元)

Now this is a proper wedding party. @glocal_bar_vibes gets hitched in Kumamoto and gets sponsorship from Satsuma Shuzo like every proper shochu bar owner should. Approximately 72 liters of shochu. Wonder if we can finish it? #shochu #weddingparty #kumamoto #satsuma #shiranami #squadgoals #congrats #drinkingjapan #japandrinks #japanawaits #distilled #imbibe #foodandwine #焼酎 #いも焼酎 #芋焼酎 #薩摩焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #白波 #おめでとうございます！ (at Kumamoto Hotel Castle)

One of many things to love about Kansuke (かんすけ), the izakaya I profiled in my previous post, is their beverage program. They have an extensive sake list that would meet almost any connoisseur's demands (and 2 fridges dedicated to it despite the space smaller than a Manhattan studio apartment, but also have a small selection of shochu including 3 served "maewari" (mixed with water at least a day before service). At Kansuke this then served warmed (kan かん) like a hot sake. In this case I had Komaki, a sweet potato shochu from Kagoshima Prefecture that's better known in the US for making the Ikkomon and Beniikko brands. On a chilly February evening this was exactly what I wanted to eat with the hot dishes. #japanawaits #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #imbibe #distilled #shochu #hotsake #fukuoka #izakaya #maewari #前割り焼酎 #焼酎 #芋焼酎 #いも焼酎 #薩摩焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #小牧 #福岡 #かんすけ (at かんすけ)

It was a real privilege to be on @heritage_radio talking #shochu (and a bit of #sake) w @akikok99nyc. We talked for over an hour and sampled some @yamatozakura with hot water (大和桜焼酎お湯割で). I promised to post a photo of the Kagoshima style hot shochu glass, a very distinct style unknown in most of Japan. #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #distilled #daydrinking #radio #sweetpotato #imbibe #foodandwine #japaneats #japanawaits ##芋焼酎 #焼酎 #乾杯 #いも焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #薩摩焼酎 #市来 #市来焼酎 (at Heritage Radio Network)

February Shochu'sday is tonight at Uminoie in the East Village. 7-9pm. We will be featuring shochu from @yagi.kentaro and the entire Yachiyoden family. As a special treat I will bring this special 10th anniversary bottle, which was released to commemorate the opening of their new distillery nestled in the foothills of Tarumizu, Kagoshima. #drinkingjapan #kagoshima #japandrinks #shochu #shochusday #kanpai #kampai #sweetpotato #焼酎 #芋焼酎 #居酒屋 #薩摩焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #乾杯 #古酒 #八千代伝 (at Uminoie)

Tonight's Shochu'sday is 5:30-7:30 @teisuinyc on 28th Street. Food pairings with the happy hour shochu. Come on in. It's not even raining at the moment! #shochusday #shochu #happyhour #happyhr #foodie #foodandwine #foodpairing #yakitori #izakaya #pickles #imbibe #drinkingjapan #japandrinks #japaneats #eatingnyc #eatingjapan #craftspirits #distilled #焼酎 #居酒屋 #焼き鳥 #焼鳥 #漬物 (at TEISUI)

And since no trip to Tokyo is complete without shochu with @christopherpellegrini we went to a fancy shochu bar in Shibuya where I had never been. A nice surprise was @taekodrinks meeting us to talk shochu. The owner serves every shochu the same way in the same size glass to show he's not short pouring. He requests you try it straight before he makes your drink to your specifications. Since Mushagaishi (武者街し) is a handmade rice shochu produced using a traditional atmospheric pot still, I enjoyed this "oyuwari" (with hot water お湯割り). This service style opens up the rice aromas and flavors and can be quite warming on a chilly evening. #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #cooljapan #shochu #riceshochu #tokyo #shibuya #焼酎Bar古典 #焼酎 #武者街し #米焼酎 #熊本の焼酎 #熊焼酎 (at 焼酎Bar 古典)

Day 24 (20 December 2017): my final post about my time at @yamatozakura this year. The distillery and bottling facility are so small that shochu is bottled and labeled and packaged as orders come in. December is the busiest season for shochu (and other Japanese alcohol) makers thanks to the tradition of bonnenkai. These are "forget the year" parties where coworkers or friends get together for a last drink before the new year. These are usually multiple hour events with everyone getting drunk enough to truly forget the year. At this time orders spike from liquor stores, bars, and restaurants throughout Japan. Pictured is just one set of orders for one day for one shipping company. #よか晩 #kagoshima #yamatozakura #craftsmanship #craftspirits #shochu #kagoshima #cooljapan #japandrinks #drinkingjapan #焼酎 #大和桜酒造 #大和桜 #市来 #市来焼酎 #薩摩焼酎 #さつま焼酎 #乾杯 #鹿児島