top of page
koji spirits. Made for
curious
drinkers.
Koji Spirits by Reed & Co Distillery exists to produce expressive Japanese-inspired, Koji-based spirits in a truly Australian form.
R&Co. founders/chef/distillers Hamish Nugent & Rachel Reed share a strong affinity for Japanese techniques and flavour.
Having spent time living and working in Japan, they developed a passion for Koji-based spirits, like Shochu.
If you are here, you have discovered how delicious Shochu is and how versatile it is as a beverage....
Or you are curious to know more, which is ideal because we make spirits for curious drinkers.
what is koji?
Koji is a mould, otherwise known by its scientific name Aspergillus Oryzae, used in fermentation.
It is the national fungus of Japan (yep, really!) and has been used in Japanese, Chinese & Korean food for thousands of years. When grown on a starchy grain like rice or barley, it turns complex carbohydrates into amino acids and sugars via enzymes it produces to feed itself. It is used to make soy sauce, miso, rice vinegar and fermented pastes, as well as alcoholic beverages like sake, shochu, mirin, awamori & amazake.
reed & co. koji
All of our Koji Spirits are produced using our own Koji base. This is to ensure that there is a consistency in quality throughout our spirits.
We source high quality Australian grains, which are inoculated with a Koji spore and monitored in a temperature and humidity controlled Koji room to achieve optimal Koji.
FERMENTATION
This is where we have all the fun!
Fermentation is a craft all of its own and one that we have been refining for many years.
The koji is technically the first fermentation, which is followed by a second long fermentation. All of this happens under the watchful eye of Hamish at Reed & Co Distillery in Bright.
All of our Koji Spirits have a long fermentation period with regular feeding and aeration.
FROM KOJI TO SHOCHU
We choose to produce our Shochu in the traditional Honkaku style, meaning it goes through a single distillation.
Koji Spirits Shochu is made in our low temperature vacuum still. This ensures that the spirit retains the qualities of the base ingredient, accentuating the aroma and flavour to deliver perfectly balanced Shochu.
ingredients
All of the ingredients in our Koji Spirits are real. No artificial flavourings or additives. All flavour is derived from the process and source ingredients like Yuzu sourced from the Ovens Valley featured in our award winning Yuzushu and Yuzu Chu-hai ready-to-drink premium cocktail.
DISCOVER OUR KOJI SPIRITS
CURIOUS FOR MORE?
SUBSCRIBE FOR NEWS, UPDATES & PRODUCT LAUNCHES
bottom of page