Somehow I have the impression that sake and shochu isn’t as popular in the west. I would like to be proven wrong!
Any sake and shochu lovers here? What is your favourite? For shochu, how do you prefer to drink them (rock / water / soda / chuhai cocktail) ?
Personally I have tried mainly sakes. I tend to drink 獺祭 (Dassai) and 八海山（Hakkaisan) plus many others. Admittedly I basically tend to select those with cool names (like 九頭龍 Nine-Headed Dragons) rofl.
I don’t know much about Shochu but I find most palatable to me, so I am open to suggestions!
5 comments
I love both!
Plenty of super nice sake to try in good restaurants/izakayas/sushi, then easy to buy on rakuten/speciality stores.
Sake especially is much better cost performance than wine here, so I drink that with meals at home. You can get excellent bottles for 1500¥, while for that price you can only get cheap/entry level wines. My favorite brands: senkin, kamonishiki, echigo tsurukame, denshu, kaze no mori, aramasa etc.
For shochu, dont cheap out, the cheap stuff is only good for mixing IMO, especially imo shochu. Mugi shochu is much more accessible at first.
My favorites: nakanaka (Mugi), sekitoba (imo)
Usually drink it rocks, but now discovering the joy of oyu wari. Brings flavors quite well and so pleasant during cold weather.
Thinking to try one of these sake training courses like kikizakeshi or wset3 for sake. If anyone has done it, would love to hear your feedback!
I only drink sake and shochu with ice, and almost entirely as a mixed drink since the flavor is pretty neutral most of the time, or a flavor enhancer on some occasions. I used to purchase quality juice, mix it with the alcohol, and enjoy a refreshing alcoholic juice after a long day of keeping up appearances.
I’ve been into aged sake and shochu recently. Not in any sort of knowledgeable way, but I’ll order it or buy it when I see it. If you’re in Tokyo, Aeon Style Himonya has a impressive selection.
Love both. I didn’t like Shochu at first, but over time and having tried more types, I do love it now.
I like Dassai too, but for some reason, I get a headache the day after I drink sake.
For shochu, Kuro-Kirishima (黒霧島) is available anywhere and not too bad. I prefer to drink shochu on the rocks.
If you haven’t tried Okinawan awamori, I recommend it! When I went to Okinawa, the locals said that they drink it with ice and water because it enables them to drink more (although this is technically incorrect…)
If you are in Tokyo, I recommend 秘蔵 in Oshiage. It is a hole-in-the-wall bar with 300 different types of shochu from around Japan.