St. George Shochu

Born from a collaboration between St. George Spirits and a local Bay Area sake producer, California Shochu began as a gift for friends who opened a Japanese restaurant — designed specifically to complement a bowl of ramen. St. George partners with that sake producer, who uses Calrose rice, koji, and yeast in their own sake fermentation; St. George then takes the leftover sake lees (the solid remnants of that fermentation) and distills them in combination with non-GMO neutral spirit on their custom copper pot stills. The result is a distinctly savory, umami-driven shochu: the nose opens with cashew, pistachio, sweet mushroom, and dried cocoa, while the palate develops that cocoa further into notes of bittersweet chocolate layered with rich umami and unexpected tropical top notes, finishing on earthy vanilla. Bottled at 40% ABV — notably higher than many traditional shochu — it's built to be a versatile substitute for vodka, gin, or light rum in cocktails, and shines particularly in a simple highball or citrus-forward sours like a Grass Cutter or Grizzly Pear.

ABOUT THE LABEL & DISTILLERY
Master distiller Lance Winters worked with artist Lauren Asta on the label's playful design, which mashes up the California state flag with the flag of Japan — a visual pun matched by the kanji text, which translates, tongue-in-cheek, to "angry bear sound," a nod to the California grizzly. Founded in 1982 as America's original craft distillery, St. George now operates out of a converted 65,000-square-foot airplane hangar on the former Alameda Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, running one of the country's most extensive lineups of custom copper pot stills.

STYLE AMERICAN SHOCHU (RICE/KOJI-BASED SPIRIT), JAPANESE-INSPIRED
KEY INGREDIENTS SAKE LEES FROM CALROSE RICE, KOJI, AND YEAST, DISTILLED WITH NON-GMO NEUTRAL SPIRIT
SPECIAL NOTES AMERICAN-MADE, JAPANESE-INSPIRED; CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH OAKLAND'S RAMEN SHOP AND A LOCAL SAKE PRODUCER