{"product_id":"kannoko-barley-shochu-720ml","title":"Satsuma Shuzo, Kannoko Barley Shochu, Oak-Aged, 720ml","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"product-description\" style=\"line-height: 1.7; max-width: 800px;\"\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 600; font-size: 1.05rem; margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eBarley shochu aged three years in oak, from one of Kagoshima's oldest distillers. The closest thing Japan makes to a malt whisky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cdiv style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 24px; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-top: 16px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cdiv\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.9rem; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); padding-bottom: 6px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eWhy Chefs Choose This\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 18px; margin: 0; font-size: 0.9rem; list-style: disc;\"\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHonkaku, not blended:\u003c\/strong\u003e single-distilled barley shochu, so the grain and the cask carry the flavour, nothing added.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThree years in oak:\u003c\/strong\u003e the amber colour and the vanilla are from the barrel, not from caramel or additives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA whisky drinker's shochu:\u003c\/strong\u003e rich, woody and mellow, an easy pour for a guest who thinks they don't like shochu.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKura Master Platinum, 2021:\u003c\/strong\u003e judged top tier at France's blind honkaku shochu and awamori competition.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003c\/ul\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n    \u003cdiv\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.9rem; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); padding-bottom: 6px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eHow to Use\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 18px; margin: 0; font-size: 0.9rem; list-style: disc;\"\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOyuwari:\u003c\/strong\u003e the classic Kagoshima serve, cut with hot water two parts shochu to three, which lifts the honey and vanilla.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNeat or one rock:\u003c\/strong\u003e drink it the way you would a mellow bourbon, slowly, at room temperature.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn a highball:\u003c\/strong\u003e long over ice and soda with a twist of yuzu peel, a lower-alcohol alternative to a whisky highball.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 7px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBehind the pass:\u003c\/strong\u003e a base spirit for an Old Fashioned riff, or to deglaze and finish a teriyaki glaze.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003c\/ul\u003e\n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 22px; font-size: 0.95rem;\"\u003eKannoko is written 神の河, which reads in the Kagoshima dialect as \"river of the gods\", after a stream in the south of the prefecture. It is made by Satsuma Shuzo, a Kagoshima distiller better known for its imo (sweet potato) shochu, who turned the same honkaku method to barley. Honkaku means the spirit is distilled once, in a single pass, so nothing stands between you and the raw character of the grain. What sets Kannoko apart is the wood. After distillation it rests around three years in oak casks, which is where the amber colour, the soft vanilla and the woody depth come from. Kagoshima is the heartland of Japanese shochu, and this is the distiller's barrel-aged statement piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"font-weight: 600; font-size: 1rem; margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003eWhat does Kannoko barley shochu taste like?\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 22px; font-size: 0.95rem;\"\u003eThe first thing you notice is the nose: honey and vanilla, with a ripe note that drinkers often read as banana. On the palate it is rich and rounded rather than sharp, with the barley sitting underneath a clear layer of oak. The cask ageing gives it a warm, woody body that lands much closer to a mild bourbon than to a clean, modern shochu. The finish is long and gently sweet, with no harsh alcohol burn despite the 25% strength. If you have only ever tried light, watery shochu, this is the bottle that changes your mind. It rewards a slow pour and a little warmth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 10px 0 25px 0; border: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35);\"\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width:35%; padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eType\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003eHonkaku Mugi Shochu (本格麦焼酎, genuine single-distilled barley shochu)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eBrand\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003eSatsuma Shuzo, Kagoshima\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eKey Feature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003eAged around three years in oak casks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003eKagoshima Prefecture, Japan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eVolume \/ Strength\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003e720ml, 25% ABV\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem; opacity:0.75;\"\u003eBest Used As\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:10px; border:1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); font-size:0.9rem;\"\u003eA sipping spirit, neat, with hot water, or in a highball\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n  \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 12px; border: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); border-radius: 4px;\"\u003e\n    \u003csummary style=\"padding: 12px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.9rem; cursor: pointer;\"\u003eIs shochu the same as sake?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"padding: 12px; font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;\"\u003eNo. Sake is brewed and fermented, like beer or wine, and usually sits around 15% strength. Shochu is distilled, like whisky or vodka, and is stronger, here 25%. Kannoko is a honkaku shochu, meaning it is distilled in a single pass so the character of the barley comes straight through. The two are different drinks entirely, and shochu is meant to be cut with water or ice as often as it is drunk neat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n  \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 12px; border: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); border-radius: 4px;\"\u003e\n    \u003csummary style=\"padding: 12px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.9rem; cursor: pointer;\"\u003eHow do you drink Kannoko barley shochu?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"padding: 12px; font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;\"\u003eThree ways suit it best. Neat or over a single large rock, treated like a mellow bourbon. Oyuwari, the Kagoshima way, cut with hot water at roughly two parts shochu to three, which opens up the honey and vanilla. Or long in a highball with soda, ice and a twist of yuzu. Because it is barrel-aged and woody, it holds its own neat far better than a lighter shochu would.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n  \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 40px; border: 1px solid rgba(127,127,127,0.35); border-radius: 4px;\"\u003e\n    \u003csummary style=\"padding: 12px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.9rem; cursor: pointer;\"\u003eHow strong is it, and how should I store it?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"padding: 12px; font-size: 0.9rem; margin: 0;\"\u003eKannoko is 25% ABV, stronger than sake but lower than most whisky. Store it upright somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Unlike sake, distilled shochu is stable and does not need refrigeration once opened, so a sealed bottle keeps well for a long time. There is no need to rush through it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Satsuma Shuzo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58288561783165,"sku":"H0253","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0353\/5621\/files\/WV4_lA6kjouszO7E1ALB7_3t2CMzkt_00001.jpg?v=1781541180","url":"https:\/\/www.sushisushi.co.uk\/products\/kannoko-barley-shochu-720ml","provider":"SushiSushi","version":"1.0","type":"link"}