Thoughts on the Displayed Products

Aki-no-tsuyu  Kura no kodawari

The Joraku distillery uses approximately 800 barrels for aging. The shochu 'Kura no Kodawari is matured under vacuum-distillation in oak casks for a period of 3 to 5 years. It is aged longer than regular products and skillfully blended to prevent variations in quality from barrel to barrel.
A portion of the sales of the "Reborn Label" products displayed here will be donated to support the recovery from the torrential rains in southern Kumamoto Prefecture. The Joraku Shuzo distillery did not sustain any significant damage, but the company sent equipment and materials when the disaster occurred, to help other distilleries that were more badly damaged.
 
Kazuhiro Yoshida, deputy chief brewer, says, "I wish the flood damage had not occurred, but I like being united with my fellow shochu distillers and together we are now spreading the appeal and unique taste of Kuma shochu throughout the country, and the world.
 
"The most popular way to drink Kura no Kodawari is with club soda." Mr. Yoshida laughs, adding  "Yet I personally like to drink it with hot water, which brings out the flavor of the barrels the best, but it hasn't caught on as much as club soda.”

Joraku made with wine yeast

"We wanted to make a totally new Kuma shochu, so we tried changing the malted rice and devising new yeasts, one of which was wine yeast," Mr. Yoshida recalls. "It was a process of repeated trial and error. We were careful to control the temperature of the malt and developed the product on the premise it would be mixed with water or club soda when drank." The alcohol level was adjusted from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius after many tastings.  And the resulting shochu "has a strong sweetness, an elegance, that retains the aroma of the malt, similar to white wine," says Mr. Yoshida, "and of course, no grapes are used."
 
Mr. Yoshida advises customers "to first enjoy the original taste and aroma of Kura no Kodawari shochu, just drink a small amount straight - then add ice or mix with other ingredients to your liking."