May 9-10 Are Kokuto (Brown Sugar) Shochu Days! Celebrate With Sato no Akebono!

May 9th and 10th Are Brown Sugar Shochu Days

5月9-10日为黑糖烧酒日！

The Amami Oshima Sake Brewers' Association has decided that 9 and 10 May are brown sugar shochu days because of the association with 'kokuto'. This was established in 2007 to coincide with the Japanese reading of the numbers 5 (ko), 9 (ku), and 10 (tou).

奄美大岛清酒酿造协会决定5月9日和10日为红糖烧酒日，因为这与“黑糖”有关。这是2007年设立的，与日文数字5 (ko)、9 (ku)和10 (tou)的读法一致。

Kokuto shochu is a distilled spirit made exclusively in Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan. “Kokuto” refers to specially refined brown sugar and “shochu” is a distilled spirit made mainly in Southern Japan. In short, kokuto shochu is a distilled spirit made from brown sugar. While the other shochu distillers outside Amami are using sweet potato, barley, or rice as their main ingredients, kokuto shochu is made uniquely from brown sugar.

黑糖烧酒是日本鹿儿岛奄美群岛独家酿造的蒸馏酒。“Kokuto”指的是特别精制的红糖，“shochu”是一种蒸馏酒，主要产于日本南部。简而言之，黑糖烧酒是一种用红糖蒸馏而成的酒。奄美以外的其他烧酒酿造商都是用甘薯、大麦或大米作为主要原料，而黑糖烧酒则是用红糖酿造的。

There are only 26 distilleries of Amami Kokuto Shochu in the world, making this a selected group. One of them is Machida Shuzo, known for their Kokuto Shochu “Sato no Akebono", made with the brewery's signature vacuum distillation and long-term aging. Highly thought of since its release, Sato no Akebono combines mellow taste and aroma to provide a refreshing feeling that fascinates drinkers.

世界上只有26家奄美黑糖烧酒的酿酒厂，这是一个精选的群体。其中之一是町田酒造(Machida Shuzo)，以他们的黑糖烧酒“里之曙”(Sato no Akebono)而闻名，烧酒使用了该酿酒厂标志性的真空蒸馏和长期陈酿技术酿制。里曙烧酒自上市以来备受好评，醇厚的口感和迷人的香气相互融合，提供了令人着迷的清爽感觉。

Lower Alcohol Content Kokuto Shochu

低酒精含量的黑糖烧酒

Sato no Akebono BLUE is made with an alcohol content of 18% so that it can be enjoyed as it is without being diluted with water.

里之曙BLUE的酒精含量为18%，因此无需兑水即可享用。

Brown sugar itself is not strongly present in the color, aroma or taste. However, it does contribute to the mellowness of the shochu. Thanks to the brown sugar, it is very mellow and doesn't have that throat-burning sensation. At 18°C, the alcohol content is moderate for shochu, but the taste packs a rum-like punch. While best enjoyed on the rocks, it can also be mixed with tropical fruit-based drinks.

红糖本身的颜色、香气和味道都不强烈。然而，它确实有助于烧酒的醇厚。正是有了红糖，使得它非常醇厚，没有灼烧喉咙的感觉。在18°C的温度下，烧酒的酒精含量适中，但味道却像朗姆酒一样好。加冰饮用效果最好，它也可以与热带水果类饮料混合饮用哦。

The vivid blue bottle design is also attractive, refreshing and shows a lot of attention to detail. The label is designed not to peel off even when soaked in water, so chill the entire bottle and enjoy it on the rocks. Taste the charm of the brown sugar shochu produced in the Amami Islands!

鲜艳的蓝色瓶身设计也很吸引人，令人耳目一新，体现了里之曙对细节的重视。标签即使在水中浸泡也不会脱落，所以整瓶都可冷藏，加冰块享用。让我们来试一下奄美群岛出产的红糖烧酒的魅力吧!