Hamada Syuzou Co., Ltd. based in Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, released an innovative product in its botanical “shochu” (distilled spirits) series, “CHILL GREEN bitter & tropical,” on February 18, 2025.
Photo: Hamada Syuzou/Website
Japan’s declining overall alcoholic beverage industry, including “honkaku” (authentic) shochu, has seen a new wave of drinks that emphasize a specific aroma or base ingredient as its main feature. This phenomenon has overturned the traditional image of shochu and has been further developing the market by bringing new ways of enjoying spirits to consumers.
First released in February 2023, the “CHILL GREEN spicy & citrus” version features citrusy, crisp, and piquant flavors thanks to “maqaw” spice. Its bottle has garnered praise from outside the traditional circle of buyers, gradually finding its roots in the alcohol market. The brand-new “bitter & tropical” version is the second offering in the series. Thanks to the rare Galaxy aroma hop, this new flavor achieved that classic pink grapefruit sensation with a zesty, tart flavor. Following the success of the initial bottle, the company will continue to spearhead the shochu industry into the next era, broadening the customer base and creating more ways to enjoy the drink.
BASE INGREDIENT
The company’s attention was drawn to hops in its search for a botanical ingredient that could help create new original flavors, specifically when combined with barley shochu. Galaxy is a highly rare variety in the world of hops, accounting for just one percent of global production. The aroma creates the sensation of a mixture of passion fruit and crisp citrus, providing a pleasant bitterness. Combining the company’s unique production techniques, it has achieved the sweet, citrusy aroma and modest bitterness that suggest pink grapefruit.
FLAVOR DESIGN
Photo: Hamada Syuzou
The essence of “CHILL GREEN bitter & tropical” allows a distinct savoring of its full flavors over the course of drinking. The company recommends starting with a soda water mix, which provides a pleasant pink grapefruit note, followed by the authentic natural flavors of barley shochu. The shochu serves to coat dishes with, and provides at the end, a slight bitterness derived from the Galaxy hop, thus enhancing the dish’s originality. For the soda water mix, the company suggests 1:2 for an extra pink grapefruit-ness and experiments with 1:1 to enjoy more of a passion fruit-like rich flavor. As shochu has traditionally been popular as a table drink in Japan, the company will continue this heritage and keep exploring the possibilities that broaden combinations with various dishes.
NAMING & BOTTLE DESIGN
The name CHILL GREEN was coined in a lexical combination of Chill Out as in “to relax” and Green which took inspiration from “botanical” and “natural.” These are the ideas and feelings that went into the creation of this series. The bottle design of the company’s first release, “CHILL GREEN spicy & citrus” (25%, 720mL), won the Lilly Franky Award (by the head judge) at the 20th Glass Bottle Award 2024, where awards are based on the various aspects of glass bottles, such as design, functionality and environmental friendliness. The company is continuing the wine bottle shape for this second flavor.
Hamada Syuzou will continue its efforts to communicate the appeal of “honkaku” shochu with a broad swath of consumers and strive to realize its vision–”Taking Honkaku Shochu to the Pinnacle of Japanese Alcohol and Beyond.”
