Kumamoto but also in Japan.
Enrico, who hails from Italy, the land of wine, visited the bar and learned about its charms!
Enrico
Strong and robust flavor
Heated over an open flame, “KAN ROCK” has a strong and robust flavor.
It has a truly rock-like flavor!
What do you think of when you hear the word “rock?” A genre of music? Or a way of drinking? In English, there is an expression for something cool: “Rock! Katsuya Hoshihara, the owner of “69 spirits,” a bar specializing in Kuma shochu, was just as “Rock” as the name of the bar suggests!
Mr. Hoshihara, who worked as a reporter for a leading Kumamoto Prefecture newspaper for many years, came across a variety of Kuma shochu through his reporting and was fascinated by its delicious taste and the commitment of its makers.
Kuma shochu, made from domestic rice in the Hitoyoshi and Kuma regions, using water from the Kuma region, and distilled in the Kuma region, is one of Kumamoto’s representative alcoholic beverages. Despite this, Mr. Hoshihara says he was doubtful that there were no stores specializing in Kuma shochu in the prefecture. He opened “69 spirits,” a bar specializing in Kuma shochu, hoping to create a place where people could not only drink it, but also enjoy it as a story, introducing the background of the shochu, its production process, and its makers.
I ordered “Kuma no Izumi,” a set of three different Kuma shochu drinks that Mr. Hoshihara recommends to first-time visitors. When I finished the drink, I could not hide my surprise. One mild and sweet flavored, the other tangy and refreshing. He told us that there is also a Kuma shochu that tastes almost like an aged whiskey.
We were totally “locked on” to the charm of Kuma shochu with its various flavors. Not only the taste of the shochu, but also the story of each shochu explained by Mr. Hoshihara made the shochu even more delicious. Kuma shochu is the soul of Kumamoto. We hope you will try to encounter a cup of the soul with our master’s guidance.
69spirits
The name of the restaurant is a cross between “spirits,” which refers to distilled liquor, and
and “spirit” of Kumamoto.
Mr. Hoshihara, who was born in 1969
The name of the restaurant is a cross between “spirits,” which refers to distilled spirits, and Kumamoto’s “spirit,” which means the spirit of Kumamoto.
Start with a set of three different kinds of drinks
Discover your favorite taste.
The “Musha-gaeshi” of heated rocks is
As the ice melts
The taste and flavor changes as the ice melts.
Cocktails using shochu, etc,
You can enjoy it in many ways.
You can enjoy it in many different ways.
profile
Katsuya Hoshihara
Born in Kumamoto City in 1969, Hoshihara has been a reporter for Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun since 1993. After retiring from the newspaper in 2017, he opened “69spirits” on June 9, a memorable day.
