NEW ARRIVALS
The SG Shochu MUGI
A 40% five-component barley shochu from Sanwa Shurui in Oita.
Honkaku mugi shochu
Specifications
- Ingredient
- Two-row barley / barley koji
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Usa, Oita
- ABV
- 40%
- Volume
- 750 ml
Five barley-shochu components are shaped through two distillation paths and three resting vessels, then assembled at 40%. The interplay of barley, pressure and vessel gives MUGI its layered aromatic structure.
A blend designed from the bar backwards
MUGI combines five barley-shochu components. Some are made through atmospheric distillation for weight, some through vacuum distillation for lift; they are rested across American white oak, sherry butts and stainless steel before blending.
Two distillations, three vessels, five components
Individual maturation periods are not disclosed. MUGI combines two distillation paths, three vessel types and five barley-shochu components, making the architecture of the blend—not a stated age—the focus.
2021 SFWSC Gold
The award reflects the competition result for this product and does not guarantee individual preference.
Shingo Gokan × Sanwa Shurui
The project joins Shingo Gokan, founder of SG Group and winner of the 2012 Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition, with Sanwa Shurui of Usa, Oita, the producer behind iichiko. Gokan brought a bar-side brief: a Japanese spirit with sufficient definition at 40% and an aromatic structure that remains legible when mixed. Sanwa Shurui translated that brief into shochu through fermentation, distillation, resting and blending.
MUGI is the most architectural expression of the collaboration. Five barley-shochu components vary by koji proportion, atmospheric or vacuum distillation, and resting vessel. American white oak, sherry butts and stainless steel supply different layers; the final blend connects cacao, vanilla and oak with the grain and koji character of honkaku shochu. Individual maturation periods and blend ratios are not disclosed.
Cacao, vanilla, grain and umami
Cacao, vanilla and oak lead the nose, followed by toasted cereal, white flowers and a savoury, mushroom-like nuance through the finish. The palate is medium-bodied, with a long yet restrained finish.
Cacao and oak over a savory, toasted grain
These are not pairings the maker has presented, but readings drawn from the characteristics recorded for this shochu. Starting from its cacao, vanilla, and oak aromas, a medium body, and a finish carrying toasted grain and a mushroom-like savoriness, four directions are set out below.
フードペアリングの科学 (The Science of Food Pairing) notes that layered savory aromas make a dish harder to tire of, a point that applies to the mushroom-like finish here. Layering the oak and toasted grain aromas follows the same book’s discussion of the “structural integration” of seasonings, spirits, and starches, and matching body and finish delicacy to a dish’s weight follows the texture argument in ロジカルペアリング (Logical Pairing).
Three producers, three materials, one bar-side question
The SG Shochu launched on 14 February 2020 as three distinct collaborations: MUGI with Sanwa Shurui in Oita, KOME with Takahashi Shuzo in Kumamoto and IMO with Satsuma Shuzo in Kagoshima. Gokan’s shared question was how honkaku shochu could retain its material and koji identity while working at the proof and precision expected in an international bar. Each producer answered with its own regional material and technical strengths; specifications and awards remain product-specific.
For current-lot specifications, availability, storage requirements and trade terms, please contact Bacchus Global.
