Mugiwara boushi

A friend and I decided to venture off the usual path of well known liquors this week and drink something that most people I know have not heard of. It's commonly known as soju, however the particular type we bought is technically a shochu (the difference being that soju is from korea and shochu is from japan, but generally they are the same type of liquor) although for some reason unbeknownst to me, most shochu's are required to be called soju either way. For the point of simply calling things what they are, I will refer to this product as shochu, despite the label displaying "soju" because It was clearly brewed in japan. In any case, The type of shochu we decided to agree upon is called "mugiwara boushi", it is distilled from barley. Its flavor has a touch of sweetness, much like sake, and the mild flavor of yeast or freshly baked bread. As a sipping drink It's not particularly fascinating, but for some reason It gives the perfect balance, heat and flavor when used as a mixer with most kinds of juice.  -reviewed by J