Japanese minds are celebrating their new days.
In 2015, Japanese whiskey became one of the most coveted spirits overnight when Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible named Suntory’s 2013 Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask as the whiskey of the world.
For years, Japanese gins have attracted the attention of connoisseurs.
And now, new brands of craft vodka are appearing on the domestic market that, like spirits, have original Japanese characteristics.
Generally speaking, vodka is made through several distillations to increase its purity and sweetness. As a result, the liquor acquires a neutral flavor, ideal to be part of a cocktail.
However, some vodka makers reduce the number of distillations to preserve the flavor of the ingredients. New Japanese vodka brands tend to focus on this ingredient-centric approach.
Here are some of those Japanese-style craft vodkas that you should possibly try in 2023.
Keys’ slogan
Ali Elsamni, founder and CEO of the ADIATE brand Co. Ltd, grew up in Japan with his Japanese and Egyptian parents.
Embracing Japan’s heritage, it partners with a century-old sake brewery in Fukui Prefecture to produce vodka. So it makes sense that the base grain of the Keys
In addition to the herbal version, Keys
The design of the bottles is trendy without any transparent indication of the Japanese character. “I think it’s a concept to visually emphasize Japanese origin to market products abroad. As with sports, what matters is universally notable quality,” says Elsamni, who played soccer in the J. League before founding the company.
Keys
Keys
As its name suggests, this vodka was born to be enjoyed with caviar.
Japan Caviar, 1983 Vodka maker J. CAVIAR has an exclusive history. In 1983, the former Soviet Union presented two hundred sturgeons to Japan as a sign of friendship between the two countries, and Miyazaki Prefecture accepted them into its experimental fisheries. in spite of everything, he managed to breed sturgeons in two hundred4.
Seeing the potential, Motoo Sakamoto founded the company to produce caviar. He currently raises sturgeons in 16 fisheries in the prefecture with special feeds that are healthy for the fish and the environment. Their customers come from Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan and abroad.
He grows Japanese caviar and the result of the herbs is that he produces a Japanese vodka that would pair perfectly with his precious eggs. So he developed one in 2019.
1983 J. CAVIAR vodka focuses heavily on terroir and differs from aged Russian vodka.
It is composed of Hyuganatsu and Hebesu, a citrus culmination of Miyazaki. The Japanese spice Sansho Pepper from an artisanal farm in Wakayama is also added (the farm is called Kanja Sanshoen and counts among its clients Ferran Adriá from El Bulli and other eminent chefs).
Hyuganatsu citrus fruits were discovered by chance two hundred years ago while being grown in a private garden. Today, its sweetness and delicate acidity are highly appreciated in the market. Similarly, Hebesu discovered it in the late 18th century, and its refreshing kaiseki chefs adore the perfume and acidity of caramel. (Hebesu is a secret for a new bride to impress her husband with her cooking skills. )
These rare ingredients are steeped in a mixture of barley shochu (traditional Japanese spirit), rice koji (Japanese national mold grown on rice) and yeast for a few days until all the essence passes into the liquid. It is distilled once to maintain the flavors and filtered with white birch charcoal.
The resulting freshness is the key to combining with caviar.
“A spoonful of caviar spreads umami in your mouth and its deliciousness lingers for a while. Then, take a sip of our vodka – the lingering flavor instantly disappears, making you crave a piece of caviar. It’s a harmful arousal loop and I end up getting drunk,” says Takashi Fukumoto, a corporate representative.
“Somehow I manage not to have a hangover the next day. I think it’s because the filtering procedure removes all the unwanted elements from the vodka,” he says.
The product has only been exported to China since December 2022, but the company hopes to expand its distribution in 2023.
There are other brands that can only be obtained in Japan or possibly can be obtained from some overseas suppliers. For example, Okayama Craft Aki Hikari vodka is made from local barley called Nijo. Aichi Craft Vodka Kiyosu’s is produced through the Kiyosuzakura brewery, which has been brewing sake since 1853. Its key grain is 100% Japanese rice, chosen by the company’s professional brewery staff.
Suntory’s Haku is full of Japanese features.
Additionally, there are popular brands of Japanese-style vodka already widely found in the United States, such as Suntory’s Haku. Haku is made from 100 percent Japanese short grain rice and fermented with Japanese koji mold. The mash is distilled 3 times and filtered with bamboo charcoal.
“Bamboo is special. As bamboo provides finer filtration than other types of wood, the liquid is intensely purified. This clarity highlights the smell of rice. In addition, bamboo has a herbaceous sweetness that is transferred to the filtration of the liquid,” says Gardner Dunn, Beam Suntory logo ambassador.
Try one (or all) of the above and your 2023 will be a fun year if you’re looking for a new vodka flavor.
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