Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Den En Gold barley shochu


  • Name: Den En Gold
  • Type: Barley shochu
  • Origin:  Kagoshima prefecture, Satsumasendai
  • Distiller: Den En Shuzo
  • ABV: 25%
  • Price: about 1200 yen

Let's put things straight from the start: at 1200 yen this is a steal. DenEnShozu is one of the big
bosses in shochu production in Japan, but their focus on cask aging puts them in a league of
their own. They were the first to commercialize a cask-aged shochu in 1982, and that came after
26 years of trial-and-error experimentation. They manage to beautifully age sweet potato shochu
too, but this review is all about how DenEnGold is aged barley shochu, and a very beautifully 
made one.

Besides barley and koji, classical music is the other main ingredient contributing to this spirit: 
speakers transmit the vibrations of music through the tanks where the shochu, now diluted down to
25 abv, rests before bottling. The company maintains this causes water molecules to wrap 
themselves around alcohol molecules, providing a smoother mouthfeel.
I am unable to dispute over the chemical legitimacy of this claim, anyway speakers beam music
through the fermenting mash as well, so it looks like the guys at DenEnShuzo are firmly convinced
this has a major influence on the final result.

The casks which are used for aging are mainly oak, and they are hosted in three eight-floor 
storehouses. DenEnGold spends three years maturing in wood and what comes out of it is
a very intense, satisfying smell of toasted barley which, once sipped, is almost a little prickly on
the tongue. There are baked products lingering here in the background, alternating between bitter 
and sweet, while the vanilla from the oak only comes out as an aftertaste. Every once in a while 
apricots and wood show up and join the party. 



ザ ブレイクダウン    

Maybe this won't be a life-changing experience for the jaded spirits geeks, but at retail price
DenEnGold is an undisputable bargain and deserves to be a staple of every self-respecting 
Japanese booze-imbibing household.

Vote: 3,5  + 2 + 1 = 6,5

Taiko no Kuro Usagi : brown sugar shochu

  Name: Taiko no Kuro Usagi Type: Brown sugar shochu Origin:  Kagoshima prefecture, Amami-shi Distiller: Yayoi Shochu ABV: 25% Price: about ...