Pay in installments of $19.25 with
,
and
Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 11 - Aug 16
Promo Codes Available:
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
Tenpai, Pepper Specialité (Japanese Pepper Spirit), 700mlDrinkable Pepper: A Barley Spirit Built Around the World's Finest Black Pepper This is not a flavoured novelty. Tenpai, a fourth generation barley distillery in Fukuoka founded in 1898, has taken its own craft barley spirit and built it around Kurata Pepper, a premium Cambodian black pepper widely regarded as the finest in the world. The result expresses the full complexity of exceptional pepper, floral aromatics, fruity nuance and a deep savoury
Drinkable Pepper: A Barley Spirit Built Around the World's Finest Black Pepper
This is not a flavoured novelty. Tenpai, a fourth-generation barley distillery in Fukuoka founded in 1898, has taken its own craft barley spirit and built it around Kurata Pepper, a premium Cambodian black pepper widely regarded as the finest in the world. The result expresses the full complexity of exceptional pepper, floral aromatics, fruity nuance and a deep savoury umami, rather than simple heat. At 25% ABV it is a genuine food-pairing spirit, and a category of one.
Why Bars Choose This
- Pepper as flavour, not heat: floral, fruity and savoury aromatics from world-class pepper, not a chilli-style burn
- Kurata Pepper: a premium Cambodian black pepper often called the finest in the world
- Real distilling pedigree: built on Tenpai's craft barley spirit, made with the same atmospheric-distillation philosophy as their honkaku shochu
- A food-led talking point: a true category of one for gastropubs, charcuterie bars and food-focused cocktail lists
How to Serve
- Soda serve (the signature): over ice, topped with soda, as a clean, aromatic aperitif
- With rich, savoury food: grilled meats, steak, roast beef and sausages bring the pepper alive
- Charcuterie and cheese: salami, bacon, cheese and bistro plates amplify the aromatics
- Bloody Mary twist: the umami of tomato juice and the pepper's floral depth make a distinctive savoury cocktail
Two Cocktails to Try
Strawberry & Black Pepper Spritz
Muddle one ripe strawberry in a wine glass. Add 50ml Tenpai Pepper Specialité and 15ml lemon juice, fill with ice and top with 75ml soda, or dry sparkling wine for something longer and drier. Stir once, garnish with a halved strawberry and a crack of fresh pepper.
Strawberry and black pepper is a classic pairing. Here the pepper lifts the fruit rather than fighting it: a fresh, low-strength aperitif.
Peppered Paloma
Build over ice in a tall glass: 50ml Tenpai Pepper Specialité, 25ml fresh pink grapefruit juice, 10ml lime and a small pinch of sea salt. Top with grapefruit soda or plain soda and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
The salt and citrus draw out the spirit's savoury, almost meaty pepper note. This is the one to pour next to grilled meat, steak or a charcuterie board.
ペッパースペシャリテ — Pepper, treated like a great spirit ingredient
Tenpai made its name building honkaku barley shochu to rival the great spirits of Europe, travelling to study Cognac and Scotch double distillation and building a one-of-a-kind atmospheric still with no chemical processing. Pepper Specialité applies that same seriousness to an unlikely ingredient: black pepper, treated not as a garnish but as the headline aromatic. Because pepper is added alongside the barley and barley koji, the drink falls under the legal category of spirits rather than shochu, which is simply the correct classification for what it is. What ends up in the glass is the rare thing it sets out to be, the full perfume and savouriness of exceptional pepper, made to drink.
Is it actually spicy or hot?
Not in the chilli sense. The point of using a pepper of this quality is that great black pepper is far more than heat: it has floral top notes, a fruity middle and a deep, almost meaty savouriness, and that is what comes through here. There is a warmth and a peppery lift, but the experience is aromatic and savoury rather than burning. That is exactly why it works so well as a food spirit, it reads like seasoning in liquid form, amplifying rich and salty dishes rather than fighting them.
Product Details
| Type | Spirit (ペッパースペシャリテ) |
| Distillery | Tenpai (天盃), founded 1898 |
| Ingredients | Barley, barley koji, black pepper (Kurata Pepper, Cambodia) |
| Character | Floral, fruity and savoury; aromatic rather than hot |
| ABV | 25% |
| Volume | 700ml |
| Best Serve | Soda serve aperitif; alongside savoury food |
| Origin | Chikuzen, Fukuoka, Japan |
What is Kurata Pepper?
Kurata Pepper is a premium Cambodian black pepper, widely regarded as one of the finest peppers in the world. It is the pepper at the heart of this spirit, chosen precisely because its aromatic range, floral, fruity and deeply savoury, gives the drink its character rather than mere heat. Using a pepper of this calibre is the whole point: a lesser pepper would deliver burn without the perfume.
Why is it called a spirit and not a shochu?
Tenpai is a honkaku shochu distillery, but adding black pepper alongside the barley and barley koji takes this product outside the legally defined honkaku shochu category and into the "spirits" classification under Japanese law. That is why it is correctly described as a Japanese craft spirit rather than a shochu, even though it is made with the same barley base and the same distilling philosophy as Tenpai's shochu range.
What food does it go with?
Rich, salty, savoury food is the natural match: grilled meats, steak, roast beef and sausages, plus charcuterie, cheese, salami, bacon, potato salad and bistro plates. These foods echo and lift the pepper's aromatics, while the soda serve keeps the palate fresh between bites. It is the pairing angle, "drinkable pepper" next to a charcuterie board or a steak, that makes it such a useful listing for a food-led bar or gastropub.
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy