‘If today a glass of shochu A is mixed with a drop of shochu B of a different flavour, even if the difference is only one-thousandth of a percent, if you cannot tell the difference between the two, you are not qualified to call yourself a bartender.’ This is the mantra of one of Japan's leading bartenders and the second president of Kirishima Sake Brewery, Junkichi Etsuka.
The blending of shochu is a highly specialised technique, and the quality of a bartender's skills depends on his or her ability to differentiate between thousandths of a percent of flavour in the blending process. Following the three taste criteria of ‘sweetness,’ ‘richness,’ and ‘fullness’ set by President Eboshi, the staff who have inherited the blending technique continue to create each bottle of Kirishima shochu with a spirit of non-compromise.
