Only 1% of Japan's Soy Sauce Is Made This Way [video]

I'm not familiar with this specific brand/batch, but real shoyu and the bottled stuff isn't even comparable. Luckily the things most westerners use soy sauce for has many other inputs so you can mask the taste, but if you have ever ate a Kaiseki meal or had a proper Omakase Sushi meal you'll notice that that the chef is brushing the shoyu (or tare depending on the season/fish) from a similar product.

The only closes analogue I can make is having real Aceto from Emilia Romagna after having had that watery sour food coloured vinegar stuff we put on salads in the US.

My good friend's wife came from multi-generational family of shoyu makers in Fukushima prefecture, the story was harrowing and painful to listen to, but the level of pride in their legacy still shined in when she spoke about what they did. And being the only one at the table who was a cook it really cut deep.

The Kikkoman is "just soy sauce" as I've always known it, and sipping it off a spoon tastes like a mistake. It's thin and its saltiness punches me in the mouth like a cheap IPA.

The Yamaroku is like a fine barley wine. It's considerably thicker, and I can clearly taste the wooden barrel that it was aged in. It's almost as pungent as the Kikkoman, but in a smooth, complex and pleasant way. It's almost addictive, and I keep finding myself going back to the fridge to try it again.

As to whether the Yamaroku is worth 10x Kikkoman.. it probably depends on whether you're a foodie and/or have the money. But I'd highly recommend at least trying it once!