New Zealand producer Mana Shochu is expanding its range of boutique Shochu with a third flavoured variant cassis, to complement its lemon and kiwigold offerings. Mana Shochu also comes in two pure options, at 42% and 25% alcohol content respectively.
Shochu is a traditional spirit in Japan, where in its most revered form it is distilled from sweet potato. Mana Shochu follows the tradition, but with a unique New Zealand twist only the best New Zealand developed Owairaka Red kumara (sweet potato) is used.
This gives our Shochu a distinctive flavour, says Catherine Carran, general manager of Mana Shochu. Early on, we held many tasting sessions with Japanese tasting panels to fine-tune our product. They all loved the earthy qualities that came through in our Shochu.
Product development started in 2002, assisted by renowned New Zealand food scientist Norman Lodge. Mana Shochu is made from specially grown kumara sourced from the farming community at Ruawai, in the rural north of New Zealand. It is then prepared and distilled in small batches and blended with pure spring water at Deinlein Distillerie in the Bay of Plenty region.
The name, she says, was inspired by the fact that Shochu is often presented as a gift or shared with special friends. The whole idea of honour, respect and power is inherent in how Shochu is traditionally presented in Japan. Of course, for us in New Zealand those ideas are encapsulated by the Maori concept of mana… hence Mana Shochu.
Mana Shochu has already found a keen, though as yet small, audience in Korea, with consumer interest also coming from Japan, China and south-east Asia.
Shochu is a spirit that’s just waiting to take off in the West as well, says Catherine. Though often described as Japanese vodka, it’s comparable to scotch as a drink on its own. With its natural sweetness and earthy flavours, shochu makes a wonderful base for cocktails too, as top mixologists are already discovering.
Independent recognition for the quality of Mana Shochu is growing, with the product recently announced as finalist in two categories of the 2011 New Zealand Food Awards.
Mana Shochu is our way of sharing our wonderful country with the world, says Catherine.
* To find out more about Mana Shochu, call Catherine direct on +64 9 413 7417, email cath@manashochu.co.nz or visit www.manashochu.co.nz.
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