I'll Shochu my Shochu knowledge

Learn about Shochu, Japan's oldest distilled spirit

I love shochu, I spent many hot summers in Izakayas drinking it on the rocks in Japan. It's cool, clean, and has endless varieties and possibilities. Shochu is distilled and can be made from rice, potato, buckwheat, barley, molasses, as well as others.

As a clear spirit, it's lighter in abv but most similar to vodka. There are many other Asian countries and cultures that have similar drinks like Korean Soju, which tends to be a touch sweeter. The main difference is that Japanese Shochu is brewed with Koji, the magical cultured rice that's also used in saké.

Fun fact: Okinawa makes its own kind of Shochu called Awamori, which often comes with a snake in the bottle, so none of this for Indiana Jones, and Samuel L Jackson won't advise taking it on a plane.

Our take on Shochu? We love to mix it into high balls, the term in Japan is called Chu-Hi, or shoCHU HIghball (pretty cool mixing of languages there, right?)

Guess what? We are doing a shochu tasting event on July 21st which is in collaboration with Saké Discoveries and sponsored by Iichiko, one of the largest shochu makers in Japan. Mark your calendars, we hope you can join us! There will be a free tasting and some merch giveaways!
 

Josh