Sato : Sato Shuzo Among the many tanks in the distillery, there is a tank painted white, which contains only water. I had thought that water was colorless and transparent, but the tank seemed to imbue the water with a powerful translucent "color." It was the first time that I had ever sensed that water itself had this kind of presence. A total of eight tons of sweet potatoes are needed to produce 4,000 bottles of shochu. To wash eight tons of potatoes takes four to five hours a day. Making shochu is a time-consuming and painstaking process. The owner of the distillery talks about making shochu in a way that will be accepted by the next generation. Six years ago, he told me about the method used to process the residue left after the distillation of the sweet potatoes. The shochu industry had long been researching methods of gas or sewage disposal of these residues, but the time when the owner mentioned this to me was before such details were discussed in an open forum involving the general consumer, in other words, before the shochu boom. From even back in those days he already had the next generation in the back of his mind. Sato Shiro (Imo-Shochu / 25% alcohol) A refreshing flavor. Goes well with food. Can be mixed with hot water. Sato Kuro (Imo-Shochu / 25% alcohol) A shochu definitely worth trying. At its best when mixed with hot water. If you mix the shochu with water the day before you plan to drink it (preferably the same kind of water used for the fermentation) the feel in the mouth becomes surprisingly mellow. Give it a try.