SAKE MAP
Kyushu & Okinawa / Types: Shochu (sweet potato) · Shochu (barley) · Shochu (buckwheat)
Six drinks from Miyazaki, each with a snack that suits it and a short story behind the bottle.
Kurokirishima
A Miyazaki sweet-potato shochu that led the nationwide shochu boom. Its "toro-kiri" (smooth-yet-crisp) drink spread the charm of imo shochu widely. Clear water from the Kirishima range yields a clean taste. With hot water or on the rocks, a royal-road bottle to enjoy casually.
Pairs with：Chicken nanban (fried chicken with tartar sauce) / Jidori sumibiyaki (charcoal-grilled chicken)
Kobiki Blue
A sweet-potato shochu that pursued easy drinking, from the long-loved Miyazaki brand "Kobiki." Its crisp, light taste stands well by a meal, too. Its refreshing blue bottle is loved by younger drinkers. A casual bottle that blends into everyday Miyazaki life.
Pairs with：Hiyajiru (chilled miso soup over rice) / Miyazaki beef
Hyakunen no Kodoku
A long-aged barley shochu that took its name from a masterpiece novel. Its amber sake, rested in barrels, has a whisky-like air. As a rare, hard-to-get label, it enjoys firm popularity. Like savoring solitude, a bottle to enjoy quietly.
Pairs with：Jidori sumibiyaki (charcoal-grilled chicken) / Nikumaki onigiri (meat-wrapped rice ball)
Nakanaka
A Kuroki-Honten barley shochu that proudly says "quite a fine job" (nakanaka). Crisp yet firmly conveying barley's umami, that's its hallmark. A bottle to casually enjoy the caliber of the brewery that made "Hyakunen no Kodoku." True to the name, quite a deeply flavorful shochu.
Pairs with：Chicken nanban (fried chicken with tartar sauce) / Hiyajiru (chilled miso soup over rice)
Yamaneko
A distinctive sweet-potato shochu carefully brewed by a brewery in the mountains of Miyazaki. Its fruity, light aroma conveys a new charm of imo shochu. With its endearing label, it draws fans among women, too. Like a cat running the mountains, its light drink is pleasant.
Pairs with：Miyazaki beef / Jidori sumibiyaki (charcoal-grilled chicken)
Unkai
A Miyazaki bottle known as a pioneer of buckwheat shochu. The toasty scent of buckwheat and a crisp taste give it a distinctive individuality. Its fantastical name, evoking the sea of clouds over Takachiho, is a charm, too. A shochu to savor with the scenery of the land of myth.
Pairs with：Hiyajiru (chilled miso soup over rice) / Nikumaki onigiri (meat-wrapped rice ball)