SAKE MAP
Kyushu & Okinawa / Types: Sake · Shochu (rice)
Six drinks from Kumamoto, each with a snack that suits it and a short story behind the bottle.
Hananoka
A Nagomi-town powerhouse carrying on a craft said to be one of "sake's origins." Its hallmark is a blossom-like gorgeous aroma and a fresh taste. In recent years it's known as a rising talent gaining global acclaim. True to the name, a bottle that wraps you in a flower-garden aroma.
Pairs with：Basashi (horse sashimi) / Karashi-renkon (mustard-stuffed lotus root)
Koro
A venerable bottle brewed in the birthplace of "Kumamoto yeast." It's the hometown taste of the yeast that influenced ginjo sake nationwide. Its refined, clear taste truly evokes the origin of ginjo craft. A blessed cup that inscribes its name in sake history.
Pairs with：Karashi-renkon (mustard-stuffed lotus root) / Taipien (glass-noodle soup)
Zuiyo
A long-established brewery layering history in Kumamoto, known also for "aka-zake" (red sake). A generous brewery that also makes the traditional sake used at celebrations. Its full, savory taste has a Kyushu-style satisfying drink. A bottle that seems to mirror Kumamoto's food culture whole.
Pairs with：Basashi (horse sashimi) / Hitomoji-guruguru (rolled boiled scallions)
Hakutake
A royal-road Hitoyoshi rice shochu representing Kuma shochu. Its crisp, clear taste is perfect for a first rice shochu, too. The blessing of the clear Kuma River yields a clean quality. On the rocks or with water, an easy bottle to enjoy casually.
Pairs with：Taipien (glass-noodle soup) / Amakusa kuruma-ebi (tiger prawn)
Torikai
A Kuma rice shochu that surprised the world with a ginjo-sake-like gorgeous aroma. Its fruity fragrance lightly overturned the conventions of shochu. It has the caliber to be highly rated at international competitions, too. A bottle where you can experience a new charm of rice shochu.
Pairs with：Basashi (horse sashimi) / Karashi-renkon (mustard-stuffed lotus root)
Rokuchoshi
A distinguished Kuma shochu insisting on long ageing. Its mellow, deep taste is the gift of patient rest. Its amber-tinged aged shochu has a brandy-like air, too. A luxurious cup that took time to make, savor it slowly.
Pairs with：Amakusa kuruma-ebi (tiger prawn) / Taipien (glass-noodle soup)