You may have already tried Asahi Mannen Boshi Genshu, a release originally intended for cocktail-making in the export market. This brand is more commonly found in Japan, bottled at the standard 25% ABV, and holy cow, is this ever good. 

We get notes of cinnamon-spice, vanilla whip, and Swiss Miss, with the slightest bit of funky, grassy goodness. The balanced, chocolatey profile and long finish makes this a fantastic choice for on the rocks or oyuwari (cut with hot water) any day, but this shochu really over-delivers any way you slice it. 

Watanabe Shuzo in Miyazaki makes only a handful of shochus on our shelves, but we enjoy them all to the fullest. Fourth generation Toji Koichiro Watanabe takes pride in using only the finest potatoes and barley from Miyazaki and Ehime prefectures and making handmade atmospheric-distilled shochu with kuratsuki koubo (wild yeast) to showcase the beauty and character of the raw ingredients and the land from which they come. 

Features

• Distilled in Miyazaki, Japan by Watanabe Shuzo
• Distilled from Mannen Boshi barley and barley koji
• ABV 25% / Koji: White (barley) / Distillation: Atmospheric 
• Yeast: Miyazaki wild yeast
• 25.4 oz (750 ml)