- Name: Ougonkyou
- Type: Rice shochu
- Origin: Kumamoto prefecture, Kuma
- Distiller: Fusato no tsuyu
- ABV: 25%
- Price: about 1500 yen
Good old Latin letters on the bottle salute you with the pretty straightforward catchphrase "Sherry cask", which compensates for the enigmatic "黄金郷" printed above it. It took me a little search to find out the three kanjis are pronounced "Ougonkyou", it is in fact the Japanese world for El Dorado. This shochu is not one of the ubiquitous, most popular brands and finding a bottle demanded a little effort, but that is not enough to establish a connection between it and the legendary bountiful land hidden somewhere in South America. What the name refers to is an area of the Kuma region, in Kumamoto prefecture, whose golden ears of rice earned it the name "Eldorado" (the golden one, for the Spanish impaired).
The shochu itself has a golden hue thanks to the aging in sherry casks, though spirits geeks will be disappointed by the lack of information about the actual time the spirit rested in them. (To deepen the geeks' dismay, I shall add that the company's website states the casks come from 'abroad', which is a geographically vague definition, to say the very least...) .
Thank God I am not a geek, just your regular booze fiend: so pop goes the bottle and the smell coming up from the glass mixes the not cloying, gentle sweetness of rice with something reminding me of pastries made with liquor-soaked peaches (childhood memories kicking in, I guess). The influence of the sherry casks seems to have brought some slightly sour notes, not the all-round red fruits sweet attack you find in sherry bomb whisky, and they work great with the rice. The mouthfeel is very soft, and the flavour will linger long around with some faint soapy aftertaste, there is also a little dryness on the tongue, which kind of gave me a hankering for a cigarette.
Ah, alcohol, you are indeed the gateway to all vices. And I salute you for that!
ザ ブレイクダウン
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