Kagoshima’s Satsuma Shiranami Imo Shochu
Last Updated 1/2/2020
Satsuma Shiranami is a mega-popular sweet potato shochu brand from Kagoshima. It has a soft, sweet-ish, and crisp profile.
Satsuma Shiranami is one of the more widely-available Imo Shochu on the market. And it is a great introductory sweet potato shochu as it’s not hard to obtain with large production and a modest price tag. It has a balanced profile, with a soft and sweet impact, and a sharply dry finish. Overall, Satsuma Shiranami is fruity, fat, earthy, herbal, and spicy.
Tasting notes include fruit cake, mint, citrus peel, and faint chestnut. Great solo, or as a mixer.
Finding and Buying Satsuma Shiranami
A 720 ml bottle of Satsuma Shiranami costs about $25-$30 retail. This does not include delivery fees or taxes.
Tracking down shochu outside of Japan can be difficult, depending on where you live. Retailers and restaurants in the US typically have a poor selection of shochu.
Alcohol shipping laws vary by state. But if you’re state allows shipping of this low proof spirit, you can easily find it online. This may be from a retailer in-state, or from somewhere else. It’s all pretty confusing. However, it’s easy enough to check online to see if this shochu, or others, are available to you.
If you’re having trouble finding shochu, you should also check out our Shochu and Awamori Retailer Guide. Any store carrying a decent supply of shochu will be updated here. You can share your favorite shop here as well.
It’s possible to have Satsuma Shiranami delivered to your door. Here are some of our sponsored alcohol retailers. Availability will vary by location. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Serving and Pairing Satsuma Shiranami
Satsuma Shiranami can be served in many ways– straight, on the rocks, mizuwari, oyuwari, or even ochawari. Just be careful with the dilution because the alcohol content is a modest 25% ABV.
This shochu also makes a mean Tequila substitute in a Margarita– but getting the balance right can be tricky because of the reduced ABV. A 2-0.5-0.5 ratio of shochu, lime, and Triple Sec is a safe starting point. If you want to get fancy with the latter, then try Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and mix it with light agave nectar. A 1-1 ratio is another starting point that can be adjusted to taste.
Make sure to scale back the triple sec and lime juice (use sudachi/yuzu if you’ve got them). The shochu’s lower alcohol content can be drowned out by the other two cocktail ingredients.
This shochu pairs well with chicken, pork, or heavily seasoned cuisine. Specific dishes that should be explored with this shochu include Kakuni 角煮, kurobuta tonkatsu, and sweet potato tempura. On the rocks it won’t overpower your katsuo no tataki either– so go ahead and order that too!
Product Information
Satsuma Shiranami さつま白波 Imo Shochu
Ingredients: 83% Imo, 17% kojimai (rice)
Imo type: Koganesengan 黄金千貫 ABV: 25%
Koji: White Distilled: honkaku 本格
Distillation Pressure: atmospheric– Joatsu 常圧蒸留
Tech Sheet outstanding Kampai post
The Satsuma Shochu Distillery
Distillery: Satsuma Shuzo 薩摩酒造 Location: Tategamihonmachi, Kagoshima
EST: 1916 Official Site
Satsuma Shuzo is a major shochu distillery. They’re located on the coastal southwest tip of Kyushu island. The company is most well-known for its Imo-jochu (sweet potato shochu), but it also makes a variety of other products including rice, barley, and buckwheat shochu. More recently, Satsuma Shuzo has been brewing some quirky beers using sweet potato as part of the grain bill.
Label Translation
Satsuma Shuzo 薩摩酒造 Satsuma Shiranami さつま白波
Imo 芋 Imojochu 芋焼酎
Kagoshima 鹿児島 Honkaku 本格
Koganesengan 黄金千貫
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