Yayoi Araroka Kokuto Shochu (BTL 720ml) Japan Chicago's very own dynamo bartender

Chicago's very own dynamo bartender extraordinaire of Kumiko

notes of tangerine

If a film of scale is formed

One blade is micro-serrated so you can grip and cut through slippery foos like poultry and fish bones

Using local sake kasu (lees) from Takara Shuzo in Berkeley

Yayoi Araroka Kokuto Shochu (BTL 720ml) Japan Chicago's very own dynamo bartenderThis shochu is all in its name: ara means coarsely and roka means filtered. So what you get is a kokuto shochu that tastes closely to its ingredients: black sugar and koji, with lingering oils that remain, instead of being filtered out as it usually is for shochu and spirits. This results in rich umami and mouthfeel. Blending is done in the solera style, making it hard to determine the age of these shochus, but indeed, the hue and depth of flavor