Satsuma Sleepy Elephant The Harmonics Aged Rice Shochu, 32%, 720ml
A limited blend of very old rice shochu: a 25-year oak-aged base with a 49-year-old spirit woven through it.
Pre-order: arriving in the UK in early November 2026
Sleepy Elephant "The Harmonics" is a limited release from Satsuma Shuzō of Makurazaki, Kagoshima. It blends aged rice shochu spirits: the base has been stored for 25 years in oak casks, and the blend includes a spirit matured for 49 years. The maker describes the refined sweetness of rice as its foundation, with a caramel-like aroma, a gentle bitterness and a long finish. Under Japanese liquor law it is classed as a liqueur. 32% ABV, 720ml.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Exceptionally old: a 25-year base and a 49-year component make this one of the oldest shochu blends you are likely to pour.
- Rice sweetness: rice shochu gives a softer, more delicate base than barley or sweet potato.
- Caramel and length: long cask time brings caramel notes and a long finish.
- Limited release: a showpiece for a digestif list or a special gift.
How to Serve
- On the rocks: the maker's pick to bring out the sweetness and concentration.
- Soda: the maker also suggests soda water, which lifts the caramel notes.
- Neat: in a small tulip glass, slowly.
- After dinner: with dark chocolate or a simple dessert.
Satsuma Shuzō is based at Makurazaki in Kagoshima, one of Japan's great shochu regions. "The Harmonics" is its series of long-aged blends, each named for a sleeping animal. Sleepy Owl is the barley blend and Sleepy Bear the sweet potato blend; Sleepy Elephant, launched in November 2025 in limited quantity, is the rice blend.
Learn more: Shochu
Why is it classed as a liqueur?
Japanese liquor tax law sets tight rules on what can be labelled honkaku shochu, including limits that very long-aged, deeply coloured spirits can fall outside. The Harmonics blends are based on shochu but sold in Japan as a liqueur (リキュール) for that reason. It is not a sweetened fruit liqueur; it drinks like an aged spirit.
Product Details
| Type | Aged rice shochu blend, classed in Japan as a liqueur |
| Producer | Satsuma Shuzō Co., Ltd. (薩摩酒造) |
| Origin | Makurazaki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Ageing | Base stored 25 years in oak; blend includes a 49-year-old spirit |
| Alcohol | 32% ABV |
| Volume | 720ml |
| Release | Limited quantity, launched November 2025 |
What does Sleepy Elephant taste like?
Satsuma Shuzō describes the refined sweetness of rice as the foundation, with a caramel-like aroma, a subtle bitterness and a long finish. On the rocks the sweetness and concentration come forward; with soda the caramel notes open up.
How is it different from Sleepy Owl?
Both are limited blends in Satsuma Shuzō's Harmonics series. Sleepy Elephant is based on rice shochu, with a 25-year oak-aged base and a 49-year-old component, at 32% ABV. Sleepy Owl is based on barley shochu, with a seven-year Limousin oak base and a 38-year-old component, at 39% ABV.
When will my pre-order arrive?
This line is due to land in the UK in early November 2026. Pre-orders are dispatched once the stock has arrived and been checked in at our warehouse. Alcohol is sold only to customers aged 18 or over.
SKU : X5011