WASHINGTON 鈥� In Japan, after a long day at work, it鈥檚 customary to head to an izakaya, or neighborhood bar, to meet with friends and unwind over drinks and food.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e very tiny and everybody knows the mamasan and she recognizes everybody who comes in,鈥� Jamie MacBain, beverage director at D.C.鈥檚 , says of the izakaya.
Most of the time, the mamasan will know more than her patrons’ names 鈥� she鈥檒l also know which bottle of liquor behind the bar belongs to whom. Bottle keep programs are common in Japan, and now, Daikaya wants to make it a tradition on its second-floor izakaya.
The program, which launched earlier this month, allows customers to purchase a bottle of Japanese whiskey, or shochu, to keep behind the bar and enjoy over a six-month time frame. And even though staff at Daikaya鈥檚 izakaya label each purchased bottle with the customer鈥檚 name (written in both English and Japanese), MacBain says that鈥檚 more for appearance: Just as he鈥檇 hoped, he now knows most of the bottle keep customers.
MacBain also aims to introduce more Washingtonians to Japanese whiskeys 鈥� a category that is growing in popularity around the world. In November, leading whiskey critic Jim Murray , the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, number 1 in his annual guide to more than 4,500 whiskeys.
Japan started making whiskey in the 1920s, but the Yamazaki was the first Japanese whiskey to earn such an accolade. MacBain describes Japanese whiskey as 鈥渧ery Scotch-like.鈥� In fact, the founder of Yamazaki learned to distill in Scotland.
Bottle keep patrons at Daikaya won鈥檛 be able to find a bottle of the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 (not for lack of trying), but they can choose one of eight Japanese whiskeys, ranging in price from $150 to $600 a bottle, and more than 10 bottles of another popular Japanese spirit: shochu.
If you鈥檙e not familiar with shochu now (also spelled 鈥渟oju鈥� in Korea), MacBain is willing to bet you will be soon. Korea’s Jinro soju is the brand of liquor in the world, selling more than 3 billion bottles a year, MacBain says, and the spirit is starting to take off in the U.S.
Japan has been making shochu since the 1500s, and, MacBain says, the drink can be distilled from 鈥渁lmost anything,鈥� but barley, sweet potatoes and rice are the most popular.
鈥淚 hate to say that it鈥檚 vodka-like 鈥� in general, it鈥檚 clear,鈥� says MacBain about the taste of shochu. 鈥淏ut there are a lot more nuances to it, and especially when it鈥檚 distilled at a lower proof.鈥�
MacBain says shochu is approachable and easy to drink. It鈥檚 also more affordable than most spirits 鈥� bottles on Daikaya鈥檚 menu range from $78 to $170. He suggests drinking the Japanese favorite either neat, on the rocks or with hot water, which he says makes the flavors 鈥渂loom.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of sweet potato shochus, we鈥檒l add hot water to it, and that鈥檚 great in the winter time as well,鈥� MacBain says.
The focus of the bottle keep program is, no doubt, on whiskeys and shochus, but like most izakayas, Daikaya鈥檚 upstairs bar also places a heavy focus on sake and . The bar serves everything from domburi to octopus-filled dumplings to saut茅ed edamame and more.
And while the bottle keep program has attracted a group of regulars to Daikaya鈥檚 intimate second-floor bar, MacBain hopes it will only continue to grow and appeal to others.
鈥淲e want people to come in and feel like they鈥檙e at home 鈥� whether they鈥檙e Japanese or not 鈥� and they have a great meal or some great drinks and they have a good time,鈥� he says.
