Louisville, KY (May 17, 2021)— 375 Park Avenue Spirits, a division of the Sazerac Company, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Mizu Shochu effective July 1, 2021. Under this agreement, 375 Park Avenue Spirits and Sazerac Company’s Bond & Royal craft division will assume responsibility for all sales and operational functions as well as support the brand’s marketing efforts.
“Since its 2013 launch, Mizu Shochu has firmly established itself as the category leader and pioneer in high-proof shochu in the U.S., as well as a go-to spirit for craft cocktail enthusiasts,” says Jason Schladenhauffen, president and CEO of 375 Park Avenue Spirits. “Its deep commitment to honoring its historic production methods and legacy of Japanese craftsmanship while embracing creativity and innovation align perfectly with our mission. With global appreciation for discovering premium international spirits at an all-time high, we look forward to rapidly expanding Mizu Shochu’s footprint in the U.S.”
Mizu, short for 美鶴乃舞 (read Mi-zu-no-mai), is a traditional honkaku-style Japanese shochu handcrafted and produced by the Munemasa Shuzo Company. The distillery is located in the small town of Arita in Kyushu, the island where shochu originated in the 16th century. Arita is also well-known as the historic birthplace of Japanese porcelain; the town’s legacy of artistry and craftsmanship serves as an inspiration to Munemasa’s master distillers, who strive to create uniquely-styled shochus of uncommon character.
Following a time-honored production method, each expression is distilled only once, whereas most common spirits are distilled at least twice. This practice of single distillation captures the true essence of its locally-sourced raw ingredients, resulting in a more natural, complex and earthy taste that reflects the agricultural heritage and terroir of the region.
Shochu is hugely popular in Japan, so much so that its consumption outpaces both sake and Japanese whisky in its domestic market. For a global comparison, annual production of the category stands at more than double that of all the tequila produced in Mexico, according to recent surveys published by the Statistics Bureau Japan and Consejo Regulador del Tequila. While shochu has flown relatively under the radar in the U.S., interest is rapidly growing due to an unprecedented hunger for Japanese spirits, and Mizu has already established a loyal following among the industry elite.
“Over the past decade we’ve embarked on a remarkable journey,” says Jesse Falowitz, cofounder and CEO of Mizu Shochu. “Shochu is a spirit with 500 years of history and generations of extraordinary Japanese craftsmanship that the world is just beginning to enjoy. An endeavor like this requires a specific mindset. It takes an appetite for discovery, an appreciation for authenticity and the ambition to blaze a new trail. We’ve found all these points in the team at 375 Park Ave Spirits and their counterparts at Bond & Royal. It’s the perfect partnership for the brand; with the help of Sazerac’s U.S. sales network, we’ll be traveling faster and farther.”
Initially rice-based, akin to a distilled sake, shochu evolved and its makers innovated; incorporating a broader variety of local harvest ranging from popular ingredients such as barley, rice, sweet potato, and buckwheat, to more novel ones including pumpkin, chestnut, ginger, sesame seed and more. Mizu’s locally-sourced selection features truly unique items in the world of shochu including proprietary cultivars of two-rowed barley, fresh organic lemongrass and ultra-premium Ureshino green tea leaves. Tying these diverse ingredients together in shochu production is the use of koji – a microbe used in the production of sake and soy sauce – to fuel fermentation and impart beautifully earthy, umami notes.
In appreciation of the past and the purity of its ingredients, Mizu’s four expressions are presented at 70 proof (35% ABV), which is stronger than most mainstream products (typically 50 proof) and a nod to shochus of old. Toji (master distiller) Takafumi Hayashi notes that the higher concentration better expresses the quality, depth and complexity of the genshu, the “undiluted” heart of the spirit, and offers greater versatility for a variety of drinking methods.
Mizu is an ideal shochu for sipping that can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, with the addition of hot water (oyuwari) or cold water (mizuwari) and with club soda as a highball (sodawari). Its higher proof also makes it perfectly suited for cocktails and the ideal spirit to compliment exotic ingredients of the Far East, a base for Japan’s ubiquitous chu-hai cocktails or to put an unexpected twist on Western classics.
Mizu Shochu will be available from 375 Park Avenue Spirits beginning on July 1, 2021. Available product SKUs include the following: Mizu ‘Saga Barley’ Shochu (750ml; SRP: $34.99), Mizu ‘Lemongrass’ Shochu (750ml; SRP: $37.99), Mizu ‘Green Tea’ Shochu (750ml; SRP: $40.99) and Mizu ‘Sakura Cask’ Shochu (750ml; SRP: $51.99).
About 375 Park Avenue Spirits
375 Park Avenue Spirits specializes in the premium- to luxury-spirit categories and our portfolio includes numerous expressions from leading international producers. Founded as Luctor International, LLC in 1981, 375 Park Avenue Spirits joined the Sazerac Company in early 2015 to act as an independent, yet fully integrated sales and marketing affiliate. The company is known today for creating an environment of growth for supplier partners in the domestic market for renown brands like Van Gogh Vodka from Holland, Sobieski Vodka from Poland, Cutty Sark Blended Scotch, J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky, Paul John Single Malt Whisky from India, Scapegrace Gin from New Zealand, Novo Fogo Cachaca and many others. For more information on 375 Park Avenue Spirits, please visit www.375park.com.
About Sazerac
Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in the United States in Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac visit https://www.sazerac.com/.
About Mizu Shochu
Mizu, the moniker for 美鶴乃舞 (Mi-zu-no-mai), is the vanguard Japanese shochu brand that has reframed the immensely popular national distillate to win the hearts and glasses of today’s global spirits adventurist. Mizu arrived on the craft cocktail scene in New York’s Little Tokyo in 2013, and has since become the go-to shochu for many of the world’s top bars and restaurants. The award-winning spirits originate from the famed artisan village of Arita, and are handmade and single distilled in the traditional honkaku style by the Munemasa Shuzo Co., Ltd. Each of the expressions – Saga Barley, Lemongrass, Green Tea and Sakura Cask – are crafted solely from locally farmed, seasonally inspired ingredients, and at 35% ABV, are a nod to higher proof shochus of old. Mizu is exported globally by Nehan Spirits LLC, and currently available in the United States, Japan, China, Italy, France, Canada and Indonesia. For more information, please visit www.mizushochu.com.