Kura Shochu Preview Tour and Tasting—Members-Only

Please Note: This event is exclusively for Japan Society members. All participants must be 21+. It takes place at Brooklyn Kura inside Industry City (34 34th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232). It does not take place at Japan Society.

Founded in 2016 as New York City’s first sake brewery, Brooklyn Kura is committed to American craft sake hand-crafted from the highest quality ingredients, and Japan Society has been proud to serve Brooklyn Kura sake to our members at many of our receptions.

Now, we’re excited to offer our members a special preview tour and tasting and sneak peek at Brooklyn Kura’s newest creation—Kura Shochu. Join us to get a taste of Kura Shochu before it becomes widely available later this year.

Made in NYC in the style of traditional kasutori shochu (shochu distilled from rice lees), Kura Shochu is crafted from sake rice, capturing its umami and ginjo-ka (complex aroma). Distilled as genshu (full-strength spirit), Kura Shochu can be used in a wide variety of cocktails, including replacing gin in a Prohibition-era style cocktail, rum in a tropical-style drink, as the backbone in a new-age libation, or simply with soda water, on ice, or with a splash of hot water. 

As a Japan Society member, you can be one of the first to try Kura Shochu at this special event. This private event will be held at Brooklyn Kura on March 26 and will include a guided tasting and behind-the-scenes tour:

6:30 to 7 PM – Arrival and Welcome Glass of Sake
7 to 7:30 PM – Shochu 101 Lecture with 3 Shochu Tastings and Light Bites
7:30 to 8 PM – Brewery Tour
8 to 9:30 PM – Happy Hour with Sake, Shochu and Cocktails available for purchase

This private event is limited to only 40 members.

Further details on arrival instructions, check in, etc. will be shared with participants in the week prior to the event. All participants must be 21+.

About Brooklyn Kura
In 2016, Brian Polen quit a nearly decade-long career to found Brooklyn Kura. The brewery first began as experimental home brews in the kitchens of Polen and business partner Brandon Doughan. After the two met by chance and discovered a shared love of sake, they spent years researching the beverage and breweries across Japan and the United States. Through a combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern innovation, Brooklyn Kura is committed to a new tradition of American Craft Sake. Building on more than 1,000 years of Japanese brewing history, Brooklyn Kura’s sake is hand-crafted with the highest quality ingredients right in New York City. Brooklyn Kura believes good sake is subtle and complex, and something to be enjoyed whether you’ve been on a sake pilgrimage to Japan or you’re a complete sake rookie.

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Japan Society’s 120th anniversary initiatives and related programs are generously supported by Champion Sponsor, MUFG Bank, Ltd.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support for cultural programs is provided by an anonymous donor, the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund and Anime NYC.