Shochu · Kagoshima · Hamada Shuzo

CHILL GREEN bitter and tropical botanical mugi shochu bottle

Original bottle illustration — Bacchus Global

CHILL GREEN · DENZOUIN LABO · KAGOSHIMA

CHILL GREEN Bitter & Tropical

Galaxy hops are brought into fermentation through Hamada Shuzo’s Botaniol method. Grapefruit and passion-fruit-like aromas rise first; a measured hop bitterness follows, held within the clean line of mugi shochu and Refine Blend.

Botanical Mugi Shochu

BotanicalGalaxy hops

MethodAdded during fermentation

DevelopmentDenzouin LABO

BlendingRefine Blend

ProfileTropical · gentle bitterness

The second CHILL GREEN

A hop-led continuation of the botanical series

This expression continues the CHILL GREEN project with Galaxy hops. It retains the series’ fermentation-led idea while replacing the citrus-spice direction of Maqaw with a tropical aromatic arc and a controlled bitter finish.

The botanical

Galaxy hops beyond beer

Galaxy is known for vivid grapefruit and passion-fruit-like aromatics. Here it is not used to imitate beer; its role is to introduce a hop-derived aromatic and bitter dimension into the structure of distilled mugi shochu.

Botaniol and Refine Blend

Fermentation first, composition second

The proprietary Botaniol method places the hops within fermentation, before distillation. Refine Blend then composes the distilled elements so that tropical aroma, barley structure and bitterness remain distinct but connected.

Aromatic profile

Grapefruit, passion fruit and a restrained bitter close

The profile opens with citrus and tropical-fruit associations, followed by green hop detail and a gentle bitterness. The finish is designed around clarity rather than weight, making bitterness a precise closing line.

Food affinities

Light dishes for a transparent bitterness

What is recorded above opens with grapefruit and passionfruit, moving into a green-hop nuance and a gentle bitterness. The structure favours transparency over weight, and the bitterness stays a thin line through the finish. What follows are four directions that follow that transparency and bitterness. They are not pairings the distillery states officially.

Light tropical-fruit startersPassionfruit ceviche, grapefruit and avocado salad, grapefruit and scallop salad, citrus namasu, yam phonlamai khet ron. The tropical aroma overlaps in the same direction

Bitter greens that echo the hop noteStir-fried bitter melon, blanched rapini, rocket and grapefruit salad, blanched choy sum. The gentle bitterness answers the bitterness of the greens

Cold seafood with a transparent qualityWhite fish ceviche, kombu-cured white fish, herb-sauced steamed chicken, yam thale. The transparent texture overlaps with the cold dish

Dishes that pair like a craft beer snackFried chicken wings, edamame, mixed sausages, nachos. The hop nuance runs in the same direction

This pairing rationale draws on the following reference book: Logical pairing theory records bitterness as an effect that works only when balanced against umami and fat. A light bitterness is said to sit comfortably alongside equally light dishes.

Pairing guide — Shochu & Selected Spirits

Awards

Award historys for this product

2025

Silver — International Wine & Spirit Competition

Awards are presented as competition records for this specific product only; they do not guarantee individual preference or quality.

The producer

Three houses for tradition, innovation and continuity

Hamada Shuzo was founded in 1868 in Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima. Its three-house structure assigns distinct roles to Denbee-gura, Denzouin-gura and Kanayama-gura, allowing historical methods, modern development and long-term continuity to remain visible within one producer.

Official Hamada Shuzo website

For restaurants and retailers

For current-lot specifications, availability, storage requirements and trade terms, please contact Bacchus Global.

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