This is a Shochu Gumi selection! It was featured in June 2022: "Iki: Barley Shochu Island".

Chingu means friend in local Iki dialect, as well as in Korean – which makes sense as Iki Island served as an important trade hub between Japan and Korea historically. In fact, Busan is only a seven hour ferry ride away! Omoya Shuzo was founded in 1924, and in 2018 the distillers scouted the island to find the best water source and rebuilt their brewery there to make sake and shochu.

This bottle was the impetus for our Shochu Gumi June 2022 theme – we loved the rich texture and dynamic flavor profile. Get milk chocolate, panna cotta, and pink Mamba candy on the nose, and the complex palate is at-once smooth and earthy. Enjoy the minerality, maitake mushrooms, and honeydew profile with Beef Wellington or Korean BBQ. President Yuzo Yokoyama of Omoya Shuzo recommends drinking this with tonic water or oyuwari style.

Features

• Distilled on Iki Island, Japan by Omoya Shuzo
• Distilled from 67% mugi (barley) and 33% kome (rice)
• ABV 24% / Koji: Black (kome-koji) / Distillation: Atmospheric
• Age: 2 years in enamel tanks
• 25.3 fl oz (750ml)