Is it a sake? Made with shōchū? What happens if you add amazake?
All of these questions are posed by the intriguing (and possibly slightly unfortunately named) HOBO from producer Nekka in Fukushima Prefecture.
Originally a shōchū producer, Nekka obtained an export brewing license for sake in 2021. They have now used their Nekka brand rice shōchū as the added alcohol in an export-only daiginjō sake made with Yume no Ka sake rice the company grows themselves, noting that the shōchū has little to no effect on ginjo-ka.
The brewing process ends with an addition of amazake, producing a drink with ginjō aromas from the rice shōchū, sweetness from the amazake, and a crisp, clearly defined flavour.
Classed as a liqueur, HOBO Standard (the first in a series) is 15% alcohol, comes packaged in 720 ml bottles and retails for JPY 2500 (excluding tax).
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(SAKETIMES 8 July 2024, Japanese)
HOBO sake liqueur page on Nekka site (Japanese)
Image of the HOBO Local bottle from the Nekka site.
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