Mar 12 2007
Kissui - Japanese Rice Vodka
Japanese can make a lot of things. Cars, stereos, even Red Sox pitchers - but vodka?
Ironically I first saw Kissui today at the Korean market. It looks very, well, vodka-y - tall, clear enameled bottle, a real cork, slick branding. But I can’t help but be just a bit skeptical.
Kissui is produced by TaKaRa, a Japanese producer or sake and shochu. Their U.S. headquarters is in Berkeley, and they’re well known in the U.S. for their sake.
According to their website, which is also quite slick incidentally, Kissui is the first Japanese vodka available in the United States. It is made from rice - big surprise there - and distilled using the unique ‘Super-Allospas” process. I originally thought that term sounded made up, but Japanese can’t even pronounce ‘l’s’, so it must be somewhat legit.
In any case, Kissui is blended with natural spring water from Fushimi, Kyoto. This is notable actually, because Kyoto is well known for its underground springs. The water running under Kyoto is supposedly very pure and clean, with a very low percentage of pollutants.
In any case, that mean looking jap face on the bottle scared me, so I didn’t buy it. But if anyone has, let me know. I’ve never heard of rice vodka, so that will be interesting - but really, japanese aren’t well known for vodka at all, so I don’t expect it to stack up well against more well known brands.
Also, there seems to be a disturbing trend in the vodka market where a so-so vodka is packaged in a fancy bottle and sold for $20 - $30, even though it’s mid to lower-shelf quality. Hopefully this isn’t the case here. I actually still can’t get over the face on that bottle. It looks really mean! Who makes liquor that looks like that anyway? If I made a vodka I’d have a picture of a tipsy 16 18 year old on the label. With her friends. And beads. (hey, by the way I was watching Sell this House today and Roger threw beads on Tanya, and then she was like, “Does that mean I have to flash you again Roger?” I just thought that was completely out of place. They were fixing up a house with a family. I liked the thought of it though, Tanya is hot!).
TaKaRa has a strong channel in the U.S., so you should be able to find Kissui everywhere. BevMo has it, and I suspect it will soon be in supermarkets.
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If I’m not running the risk of finding a curly, blonde chest hair in my vodka, I’m not really drinking vodka.
I’m pretty sure I’ve had rice vodka before. Although, I think it was called “sake.”
Have you ever seen an Okinawan? They’re like little Japanese Gorillas. Sure the hairs won’t be blonde, but they’ll be extra thick, black and curly. Now that’s vodka.
I was wondering about the sake thing too, but this stuff’s like 80 proof, so there must be something else going on there.
I’m still not down with the Okis making vodka either. If I’m going to drink some crap that tastes exactly like rubbing alcohol, I need to be able to imagine that it was distilled in the helmet of a slain viking warrior. I need to, in my drunken stupor, be able to converse with the spirit of said warrior from his new home in Valhalla.
While I do not endorse Japanese or Okinawan made vodka, I would be willing to consider vodka made by Ainu.
Yeah, I’m kind of divided on this one.
On one hand, japanese value quality and purity, so it goes to reason that a Japanese vodka would have these attributes as well.
but that face on the bottle screams ‘help me, i’m being bastardized’ in the voice of japanese samurai hero/sex enslaver of chinese. And he doesn’t look very happy about it.
Which makes me think it’s crap rice runoff or the exterior of rice kernels that has been ground off of sake quality grains. Then they just probably filter it a bunch of times, because hey, it’s going to taste like rubbing alcohol anyway.
If you get a bottle I’ll get one too and we can review.
For some reason, I don’t think Japanese vodka will be hard for me to find. Maybe at “Tamura’s”?
I’d be willing to review, except I don’t really drink vodka, so it would be hard for me to rate it’s quality compared to the Scandinavian brands. Oooooh, fjords. Maybe I could get a bottle and see how it mixes in my black russian. We’ll see.
The other day I’m pretty sure I saw a Japanese whiskey. THAT I would be both excited and qualified to review. If I find any Japanese whiskey that compares to Laphroaig, well, my universe will be shattered.
http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=1795
http://www.shoppersvineyard.com/japanesewhisky/japanese-whisky-c938.html
Probably can find it at Daiei or Marukai. Note they have an 18 yr as well.
Tell me when the review is ready.
Yes, yes, my devious plan to get our reader; I mean readers
to send in some content is finally working…
http://static.flickr.com/29/100276794_548c83c4eb_m.jpg
The face of the Kissui Vodka is that of a Kabuki actor that historically depicts a character that is a brave warrior, king, etc. Therefore, it makes sense that it is not a face that is laughing or smiling.
It’s a very traditional play in Japan and all of the actors are men including the role of a female. Most of the famous Kabuki actors have been training since childhood and this acting trade gets handed down by their fathers who may have been famous Kabuki actors. It’s taken as a very serious art and play by the Japanese since it’s history goes a few hundered years!
The work “kissui” means pure and that’s the way this vodka has been distilled in the Kyoto region which is very famous for it’s pure water(Fushimi district). Thus on a much grander scale and volume, this district is very famous for making one of the best sakes in Japan. By the way, the parent company, Takara Shuzo Company, Ltd. headquarters is located in Kyoto, Japan. The very famous brand called ShoChikuBai Sake is made in Berkeley, California and uses the same brewing techniques handed down by their parent company.
This vodka is by all means a very premium vodka and one of the smoothest you will ever experience. I enjoy it “on the rocks” or I freeze the whole bottle and drink it straight in a shot glass.
Thank you, “Bob Craig”! You do your marketing firm credit!
Kanpai!