Before hastily departing the JAL Business Class Lounge at Haneda Airport in order to catch an overseas flight, this bottle on the bar caught my eye. What an unusual beverage, I thought, as indeed it is. A number of things attracted my attention: the bilingual label (Japanese-Spanish), its quasi-Latin American motif, and the word kokuto, which translates as “brown/black sugar shochu.” But that beverage is closely associated today with the Amami islands, whereas awamori is clearly the distilled drink that represents Okinawa, and the label indicated that it was from there. I took a few minutes and poured myself a glass. A short sniff sent the rich aroma of blackstrap molasses up my nostrils. I do not have a sweet tooth, but molasses has always been my favorite sweetener, and I like to consume it by the spoonful. I do not add sugar to my tea or coffee and assiduously avoid those little packets of chemicals still found in certain restaurants. Many sweeteners have earned a well-deserved bad reputation, but molasses should not be placed in the same category as the aforementioned packets of problems. “Sugarcane molasses serves as a source of iron, containing approximately 0.7% iron by weight. Studies have indicated that molasses can have positive effects on glucose regulation….[M]olasses has been extensively advertised for its therapeutic properties….”1 This, according to the authors, is owing to its significantly high mineral content. The salubrious effects of the syrup have been well known for quite a long time, as is evidenced by the existence of this satirical ditty from 1951, “Blackstrap Molasses.” Have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FpBloemqP0
Sensory Evaluation and Some Basic Facts about the Beverage: Brown, viscous, redolent of blackstrap. This has an awamori base, which sets it apart from rum. The ABV is 20%. The richness on the palate lasts long, and the mouthfeel is silky.
1Kassa, M., et al. “Review on the application, health usage, and negative effects of molasses,” CYTA-Journal of Food (2024, Vol. 22, No. 1).
Link to the producer: https://onespirit.jp/product/kokuto-de-lequio/
Drinking Japan 