GOKUJO TSUTSUMI
A single cask from Kuma, resting in an Oloroso sherry cask for more than eleven years. GOKUJO TSUTSUMI lets the rice spirit, deep amber colour and cask character remain intact, even when that means sitting outside the usual category for shochu in Japan.
Thailand · Product information
Product information from Bacchus Global Co., Ltd., based in Bangkok, Thailand. About Bacchus Global
Sensory profile
A bottling shaped by the barrel
GOKUJO TSUTSUMI is bottled directly from a single cask. Each barrel develops its own colour, aroma and balance, and the bottling carries a cask number rather than being blended into a uniform profile. This is a limited expression in the literal sense: a cask yields only a finite number of bottles.
The choice not to bleach the character away
At least eleven years in Oloroso sherry casks gives the spirit its deep amber-to-dark-brown hue and a layered cask profile. Japanese rules on the colour of honkaku shochu would require a different treatment, so the product is legally classified as a liqueur. The classification protects the cask’s colour and flavour rather than diluting its identity.
Rice softness beneath an Oloroso frame
Caramel, vanilla and dried-fruit notes lead toward creamy rice sweetness, gentle spice and a clean, warm finish. The 40% structure carries concentration while retaining the more delicate side of the rice.
Question 1
Which spirit forms the base?
- Rice shochu
- Barley shochu
- Sweet-potato shochu
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A — Rice shochu
Answer: Rice shochu. The linked section gives the source detail.
Read the relevant passageQuestion 2
What type of cask is used for ageing?
- Bourbon cask
- Oloroso sherry cask
- Beer cask
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B — Oloroso sherry cask
Answer: Oloroso sherry cask. The linked section gives the source detail.
Read the relevant passageQuestion 3
How is each bottling defined?
- Multiple casks are always blended
- It is standardised by vintage
- It comes from a single cask
Read the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C — It comes from a single cask
Answer: It comes from a single cask. The linked section gives the source detail.
Read the relevant passageLayering the cask’s memory onto the plate
The pairings below are not a combination presented officially by the brewery, but a reading drawn from the aroma and finish characteristics recorded on this page.
This pairing rationale draws on the following reference books: Logical Pairing identifies alcohol content and concentration as elements that build a drink’s weight, and treats matching that weight to the dish as the first step in pairing. Following that idea, Gokujo Tsutsumi’s 40% body and its layered cask aroma tend to sit well alongside dishes with richness or concentrated spice. The Food Pairing Compendium describes something similar: cask-aged spirits tend to connect easily with aroma groups carried by nuts or dried fruit, alongside the sweetness the cask itself contributes.
Award history
Awards are presented as competition records for this specific product only; they do not guarantee individual preference or quality.
Tsutsumi Shuzo in Kuma, since 1878
Tsutsumi Shuzo was founded in 1878 in Asagiri, Kuma, Kumamoto. It is one of the producers associated with the rice-spirit tradition of the Kuma region. GOKUJO TSUTSUMI turns that regional base toward long cask maturation without losing the quieter sweetness of rice.
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