Shochu — Japanese distilled spirits. Can be made from rice, barley, sugar cane, potato, etc. OHYEAH! + Locally made + Made from as locally sourced ingredients as possible + A unique flavor + Very personable and knowledgeable owners + Makes great gifts! OHNO! — Haleiwa is far from town OHMY?! ~ The pet dog is named Imo!!! I first heard that there was a locally distilled shochu somewhere on the North Shore a couple years ago. The first time I got to try this locally made shochu was at a friends house becase he was lucky enough to have gotten his hands on one of the bottles. Last year around this time of year they were completely sold out. This year I made sure to get some. To initiate my order I just shot a quick email to the Hawaiian Shochu Company saying that I’d be interested in purchasing a few bottles if they still had any, and within a half hour or so I got a reply from the owner, Hirata-san, with more info, and some options for pickup, and even a tour of their facilities. After a little bit more emailing, we scheduled a time that I’d stop by to pick up my order, and tour the place as well. It was a very easy and painless process. I drove out to Haleiwa with a couple friends, and stopped at Hawaiian Shochu Company at our appointed time. We were greeted by Hirata-san, his wife, and Imo, thier pet dog, and got things started. We sat down with Hirata-san as he explained some background of shochu, and how his operation works. It was very informative, and we could just see the passion that Hirata-san has for his work. He then led us on a tour of the facilities(one barn-sized warehouse type building), and explained his processes, and then we ended with a tasting of the shochu. After this we purchased our bottles, and then were on our way. The whole visit lasted just under an hour. This is definitely going to be a stop that I make whenever I find myself on the North Shore, so long as they’re open. The potatoes that they use are locally sourced from various farms across the state. The current batch, batch number 5, is made from all North Shore sweet potatoes. Some other areas they have gotten potatoes from before include Big Island and Molokai. The only ingredients that are not locally sourced are the rice, which no one grows in Hawaii, and the Koji, which comes straight from Japan. If you’re thinking that you want to stop by, be sure to call or email ahead of time to set up an appointement, as there is a sign on their gate that says that they’re by appointment only. It is definitely worth the stop here if you’re visiting the North Shore. It’s also a very unique local small business that is very worth supporting. I will definitely be back there again soon!
Ariana M.
Classificação do local: 5 Honolulu, HI
I had no idea we had a Shochu distillery in Hawaii!?! MINDBLOWN. To visit the brewery, you have to call ahead and make an appointment. I think it’s definitely worth it to check out. The entire tour and tasting doesn’t take more than an hour. Plus it’s right next to Haleiwa town. I recommend making a day out of it :) Haleiwa Shochu Company makes their shochu from sweet potatoes. It was really cool to see the process they go through to make such delicious bottles. We were also lucky enough to sample the different stages of the shochu. I was very surprised how different it tasted during each stage.
Justin E.
Classificação do local: 5 Melbourne, Australia
If you love shochu, you have to visit. What is shochu? It’s a Japanese spirit. It’s distilled, not fermented/brewed. Although the spelling is close to soju, it’s much more like vodka. This is one of the only places in the US you can try it… and it’s going to be good.(Go ahead and google shochu. It’ll explain it better than I can.) All I can say is that as an experience, it’s truly one of a kind. Ken and his wife are the only two working in this factory. Each batch is unique and there are only two batches a year. He explains in great detail the amount of time and work that goes into each batch. It’s truly amazing to see that level of dedication. It’s old school and it’s good – he uses local ingredients with Japanese techniques and equipment. In Japan, shochu is extremely popular but finding a tour in English would be almost impossible in most places. Here, you get to experience first hand a traditional product in a much more relaxed and cool setting. I mean, it’s a free tasting of the latest batch and it’s on the way to the shrimp trucks in the North Shore. You can’t go wrong. It’s about 40 bucks a bottle which is a little pricey for some, but when you really think about how much you’d spend on a bottle of good wine… it’s really quite a steal. There are only 3000 bottles a batch and he sells out each batch… and that’s all through direct sales. He doesn’t ship and does not sell in bulk. He doesn’t have to. Go and experience something that’s truly special and unique to Hawaii. Card accepted, cash appreciated. Tour by appointment only but they’re very friendly and flexible.
Jean P.
Classificação do local: 5 Oakland, CA
Handmade shochu from sweet potatoes and koji rice. Mr. Hirata and his wife are wonderful hosts, the traditional shochu making process is fascinating, and the shochu is smooth and delicious.
Randall S.
Classificação do local: 5 Kaneohe, HI
I just found out yesterday(2÷7÷14) that Mr. Hirata has sold out his first batch of 5000 bottles of shochu. Good news is he should be coming out with a 2nd batch of 3000 bottles in the next few months.
Mike N.
Classificação do local: 5 Honolulu, HI
The only Hawaiian Shochu Company in Hawaii. Handmade Shochu in Haleiwa made the traditional way. He has a tank to produce only 5000 bottles a year. If you want something different for gifts from hawaii stop down and visit the hawaiian shochu $ 39.00 bottle, you will acquire a smooth flavor of Hawaii. Ken Hirata and his wife are the only people to produce the shochu, he has no employees.
