Nikaido Oita Mugi Shochu

Nikaido Oita Mugi Shochu is the original 100% barley shochu from Nikaido Shuzo, founded in 1866 in Hiji-machi on the eastern bay of Oita prefecture, Kyushu, and owned by the Nikaido family for eight generations. The house began as a sake brewery, switched to shochu in 1949, and in the early 1970s sixth-generation president Akira Nikaido developed a method for making koji entirely from barley instead of the traditional rice. The first 100% mugi shochu followed in 1974 and became what is often called Japan's first national shochu brand; today 99.6% of Oita shochu is barley-based. Nikaido pairs its barley koji with vacuum distillation, which the producer says preserves delicate floral aromas and notes of vanilla, toasted coconut and stone fruit. The producer describes the spirit as balanced, smooth and clean while retaining a rich, aromatic and fruity barley heart, and bottles it at 24% ABV in a 900ml bottle. It is served neat, on the rocks, or as a highball with soda and lemon, and is also the official shochu of the Los Angeles Dodgers, poured at Dodger Stadium. Nikaido first reached the United States in 2024 and marks its 160th anniversary in 2026.

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