| Chingu : Omoya Shuzo |
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Iki Island, located in the Genkainada Sea to the north of Fukuoka Prefecture in northern Kyushu is the home of "Iki shochu," a variety with a history stretching back over 400 years. Cultivation of rice and barley remains popular on this island that boasts the second largest plain in the Nagasaki Prefecture. Iki Island is also well known for fishing and stockbreeding. In years gone by, sake was also brewed on the island, but nowadays only seven shochu distilleries remain in operation. "Iki shochu" refers only to mugi-shochu made on the island using a ratio of one part malted rice to two parts of barley.
In terms of scale, Omoya Shuzo is one of the smaller operations on the island, with all the members of the family involved in the shikomi (fermentation) process. The ingredients are prepared in wooden steaming baskets, and just as with sake, the koji (malted rice) is carefully prepared in a kojimuro, a special room to cultivate koji. Inside the distillery, constructed over 70 years ago from wood, there are rows of fermentation pots and small pieces of distilling equipment; the steaming of the ingredients and the production of the koji, which are the key to making shochu, are all carried out by hand.
The distillery's main brand, Chingu, is a blend of genshu (raw shochu) produced using atmospheric distillation and vacuum distillation. Its crisp taste and subtly sweet richness does not tire the taste buds, so it can be enjoyed with food. |
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Chingu Shirokoji Shikomi
(Mugi-Shochu / 25% alcohol) |
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| While its aroma is pleasant and its taste clean, the subtle sweetness of barley also comes through. Goes well with food. |
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Chingu Kurokoji Shikomi
(Mugi-Shochu / 25% alcohol) |
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| Mugi-Shochu distilled totally at atmospheric pressure. It possesses a savory taste normally associated with black koji mold, without any zatsumi (off-flavor). |
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| Sesshu (Mugi-Shochu / 25% alcohol) |
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| Iki Island's most well known brand. While it is an exquisitely balanced blend of shochu distilled using both atmospheric distillation and vacuum distillation, it still has the mild aroma of grain. Soft and light, it has a strong umami taste. Superbly blended. |
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