Shottsuru Junen Jukusen 10-Year Fish Sauce (しょっつる十年熟仙)

The story behind it

The longer a fish sauce ages, the more its edges come off. Ordinary shottsuru gets 3 years. This one gets 10.

It is made by Moroi Jozo in Oga. The brewery is known for Akita Shottsuru Hatahata 100%, brewed from nothing but the prefectural fish, sandfish, and sun-dried salt. Junen Jukusen is that same sauce left in the brewery for another 7 years. The brewer himself writes that it is probably the longest aging period of any shottsuru offered for sale.

The extra time pulls back the sharpness people associate with fish sauce. What remains is the savory depth that was sitting behind the salt, now rounded out. People who thought they disliked fish sauce are the ones most surprised.

Production is limited and cannot simply be scaled up. This year they can only release what was brewed 10 years ago.