Barley Shochu From Iki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture - Chingu Brewed With Black Koji｜Brewed With White Koji｜Natsujojo

Perfectly Clear Taste and Aroma, A Harmony of Low Pressure and Normal Pressure

Our goal is a balance between taste and aroma.
To realize this goal, we have distillation equipment suited to a clear taste and aging by conducting heat indirectly in a vacuum state.
Our representative brand, Chingu, has a high-end aroma with no unpleasantness that is a direct result of the low-pressure distillation, and a clear taste with less bitterness by way of the normal pressure distillation; these two factors combine into one complete taste contained in this bottle of shochu.

Without strict adherence to conventions, From hands to machines, From machines to hands.

Crafting a shochu with a high-end aroma and the clear taste we seek cannot be left to machines alone.
Lots of shochu breweries use machines to sprinkle the koji mold on, however, we stop the machine midway through to do the rest by hand to ensure the koji mold is added on in a uniform fashion. We believe that meticulous work like this produces a subtle taste and aroma.

We Studied Low-temperature Fermentation From Sake Brewing

Both shochu and Japanese sake are similar to work with during the early stages.
When the rice is being steamed to produce koji and fermentation, we introduce low-temperature fermentation, which is seldomly used for shochu, to create a clear taste that is free of any off-flavors.

A Blend of Low Pressure and Normal Pressure

Low-pressure distillation and normal-pressure distillation each has its advantages and disadvantages. Low pressure offers a nice aroma without any contaminants mixing in, but it has a tendency to invoke a bitter taste.
In contrast, although normal pressure results in a nice taste, it has the drawback of mixing in off-flavors due to the heat applied by the moromi fermenting mash after the second fermentation process.
Here at our brewery, we create a vacuum inside the container while in low pressure, and then we apply heat around it for distillation. We produce a nicely balanced shochu by blending the positive effects offered by low pressure and normal pressure methodologies.

Stored for a Mellow Taste

We carefully remove unnecessary oils and put it in temperature-controlled storage.
This process is crucial in crafting a balanced taste.