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The secret behind iichiko's rich flavor and
delicate taste lies in the way we make it, using only selected
barley and pure water.
First, we polish the barley grains, removing as much of 40 percent
of the outer portion, until just a tiny global-shaped core remains.
This eliminates the fat layer, which can cause an unpleasant taste
and aroma, and provides the basis for iichiko's fresh, refined
taste.
Next, we add water to part of this polished barley to create a
mash, or moromi.But this is not just any water. It's pure
water, drawn from a spring flowing below many layers of rock some
300
meters underground. This water is almost entirely free from iron,
manganese and organic materials, which can undermine the flavor
of shochu. At the same time, it contains just the right amounts
of various minerals that are indispensable to achieving perfect
shochu taste and aroma. |
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The remainder of the polished
barley is converted to koji. Together with yeast, koji enables
us to produce shochu with a rich taste and flavor. Another benefit
of koji is its high citric acid content, which protects moromi from
decomposition. This enables iichiko to retain its pure, refined
taste throughout the lengthy fermentation process.
Finally, we distill the fermented moromi into iichiko,
employing a "single batch" distillation system. Although
the moromi is distilled only once in this system, it involves
two separate methods- a low-pressure method and an atmospheric-pressure
method. The optimum balance our exrerienced brewmasters achieve
between these two methods plays a key role in arriving at iichiko's
exquisite taste. Once it is blended, filtered and bottled, iichiko shochu is
ready to ship. We hope you'll enjoysome soon-and find out what
we mean when we speak of its rich taste delicate flavor. |
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