Nankai Gold is one of the finest aged Shochus we’ve had in years with a nuanced, sophisticated flavor profile.

We love this story. Paul and Mai Makayama took their honeymoon to visit their parent home town in Japan in 2015. They tasted a local “black sugar” Shochu there for the first time and fell in love with the Spirit. When they returned home they created a company to import authentic, sugar-based Shochu — Shochu Honkaku Kokuto — back to the states. Since then, Nankai Shochu has become the leading importer of this traditional Japanese Spirit.

Nankai Gold Shochu is a blend of cask-aged Shochu produced, koji fermented, and aged up to five years in a combination of American and Limousin oak casks. The mash bill is 80% “black sugar” and 20% rice, delivering a lovely floral quality. Further, they use vacuum distillation which allows for less heating — preserving more of the natural aromatic and flavorful esters. And while the vast majority of the time Shochu is delivered at about 20% ABV, Nankai Gold is bottled at 43% ABV. It is a truly exception example of fine Shochu and winner of multiple Gold Medals at international competitions.

Smartass Corner:
Japanese is a truly wonderful language. The word “honkaku” by itself can mean “authentic” or refer to Japanese mystery literature. The word “kokuto” can mean “rich,” “richness,” or “brown sugar.” Together they can mean “authentic richness” or, in context, “really/reality.”