iichiko Saiten

Situated in the Oita Prefecture on Japans southernmost island of Kyushu, iichiko produces shch, a traditional Japanese spirit. The operation employs cutting-edge technology in making its award-winning spirits. But its also the environment that contributes to the quality of the product. The region is famous for its clean air, forests, and mountains, as well as spings. The water iichiko uses is naturally filtered through volcanic rock and is soft and iron-free. "iichiko" means "its great" in the local Oita dialect. The distillery was formed in 1958 and produced sake, wine, and shch. The very first iichiko shch to be made from barley was released in 1979. Since then the company has become one of the leading Japanese producers of barley shch.While shch is most commonly distilled from rice, iichiko Saiten is crafted from polished 100 percent two-row barley, making it a distant cousin of whisky. Its a Honkaku shch, meaning its the highest grade of the spirit and one that utilizes a single ingredient. No additives or sweeteners are added and the pristine water is filtered through 1,000 feet of volcanic rock.The barley is steeped in this water before being steamed and left to ferment using koji, a type of mold that kickstarts the process of converting starch to sugar. It is then distilled once using low pressure and atmospheric distillation before the two raw distillates are blended together. The iichiko Saiten expression is bottled at a higher 86 proof and is a full-flavored and complex shch that was crafted to work particularly well in cocktails.Pick your bottle up today!