Haku Japanese Vodka makes debut in US
Beam Suntory has created a new vodka made from Japanese white rice, called Haku Japanese Vodka.
Available exclusively in the US, Haku Japanese Vodka takes its name from the Japanese word for ‘white’ – haku. The word ‘haku’ itself is rooted in the word ‘hakumai’, which translates as ‘Japanese white rice’. The vodka’s production begins in Kagoshima, Kyushu, where white rice is fermented with koji rice to create a mash. The mash is then distilled through pot stills to create a rice spirit. The liquid then undergoes a second distillation through a pot still and a column still, before it is blended and filtered through bamboo charcoal in Osaka, Japan. It’s a process that Beam Suntory says is unique to the brand and delivers “delicately sweet and subtle flavours”. Bottled at 40% abv, Haku Japanese Vodka is available at an RRP of US$27.99 per 750ml. Beam Suntory is also introducing its Japanese gin Roku to the US market for the first time this month, bottled at 43% abv and priced at RRP US$27.99 per 750ml. The brand began its global rollout in September 2017. Roku Gin is made with six Japanese botanicals, including sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha tea, gyokuro tea and sansho pepper, along with eight “traditional” botanicals. Claire Richards, senior director of the House of Suntory at Beam Suntory, said: “The launch of these two brands creates great opportunity for craft spirits enthusiasts to discover new tastes and experiences that further embody Shinjiro Torii’s vision of challenge and quest for excellence.”
