This is a three-part series, written after we attended Kurara Singapore's and Suiraku's "Shochu Bao-Ga-Liao course. Bao-Ga-Liao, in Mandarin Chinese dialect, means "to cover it all". We'll start with the basics of shochu, followed by learning how to enjoy shochu, and ending off the series with unconventional shochus and making shochus into cocktails. A big shoutout to the team at Suiraku for the invite! 

 

Source: Boutique Japan

 

Shochu was once called "Japan's best kept secret" - despite sake seemingly being the poster child of artisanal craft within Japan's beverage world, shochu () is actually Japan's most widely consumed alcohol! Now, it is hard to say that shochu is still a kept secret, with shochu events, festivals, and even cocktail competitions held internationally bringing a much-deserved spotlight to the distilled spirit. 

 

Shochu on the rocks - a common drink to chase grilled meats, stewed vegetables and pan fried gyozas at izakayas. Source: Sakura.co 

 

Now, if you were to go to an izakaya (Japanese bar), chances are, they would have a list of shochus available. Unlike sake, which is made only with rice as its base ingredient (alongside yeast and koji), shochu could be made with a myriad of ingredients: sweet potato, barley, buckwheat, sesame... and to top it off, served in different ways too! Rocks, soda water, warmed... you named it. 

 

 

For a spirit so beloved by many, there is much to demystify! So you could imagine our excitement when we were given the chance to attend a "Shochu Bao-Ga-Liao" session, hosted by Olivia Chey of Suiraku. 

 

 

"Bao-Ga-Liao", in Singlish, translates to "cover-it-all", which has two meanings - hinting at someone who's your go-to person to get things done, or more relevant to our tasting today, a means of comprehensively covering all there is to a task. 

 

 

Suiraku is an izakaya tucked away amongst the shophouses of Maxwell, Singapore - entering the restaurant, you're first greeted by an impresive long shelf lined with bottles of sake and shochu - with over 200 bottlings to offer! Equally impressive was the long seated bar that lines the entire length of the venue. Being at Suiraku made me feel as though I have walked into a quiet, hidden away izakaya along the streets of Shibuya. At my seat, I was given reading materials from the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association that provided glossaries and in depth explanations about all things shochu. 

For Part 1 of this series, we'll cover what really shochu is, and taste five shochus that one is likely to bump into at a bar or at your Japanese alcohol shop. 

Terms and Terminologies - What is Shochu and How Its Made

 

Earthernware pots used for fermenting mash stick up from the ground - a common sight in shochu distilleries that employ traditional shochu making techniques. Source: Kagoshima Kankou

 

Shochu is, in essence, a distilled spirit that originates from Japan. Shochu can be made from a few raw ingredients (more on that later), and is classified by the means of how it is distilled. In general, the most common types of shochu seen uses sweet potato, barley, rice, buckwheat and other grains.

 

Source: JSS

 

The history of shochu is still largely debated, but there has been a general consensus that the technology and knowledge of distillation first arrived to Japan in the 1500s. Distillation stills were thought to have traveled from China, the Korean peninsula or the Siam Kingdom (present day Thailand) to Japan via the Ryukyu Kingdom (present day Okinawa). Then, the technology and knowledge of distillation was brought to Japan from the Ryukyu Kingdom to the Satsuma Domain (present day Kagoshima), before spreading throughout the entire country. 

 

Koji making. Source: Honkakushochu.or.jp

 

So, if shochu is made with the same base ingredients as many other spirits in the world; barley for scotch, and potatoes for vodka for instance; what separates shochu from other distilled spirits? The key defining feature of shochu lies in its use of koji - a mold that is innoculated onto grain, usually rice or barley, to produce enzymes that convert starches into fermentable sugar. This first step is absolutely key to shochu making - not only does this allow the starches in produce like sweet potatoes, barley or rice to be unlocked, koji also produces chemical compounds essential for stable fermentation of the yeast . 

First moromi (or ichiji moromi 一次醪) being produced. Source: Yaezakura (Furusawa Shuzo)

 

After koji is made, a starter comprised water, yeast and koji (also called the first moromi) is brewed to ensure a stable fermentation. Here, yeast cells multiply by consuming the sugars converted from starch by enzymes in the koji, whilst the koji mold produces acids that make the mash acidic - an optimal environment that suppresses unwanted microorganisms. 

 

Making of second moromi, where the main ingredient (e.g. sweet potatoes, barley etc) is added to the primary moromi. Source: Yaezakura

 

It is at the main fermentation stage (the second moromi), where the key ingredient of the shochu is combined with the starter. Sweet potatoes, for instance, and steamed and chopped, then mixed with water and starter to allow for fermentation. Here, the characteristics and makeup of the added ingredient influences the flavours that are ultimately distilled, giving character to the shochu. 

 

Most modern shochu stills in Japan are made of stainless still, with some tradition ones still being made out of wood. There are a few copper distillery stills as well. Source: JSS

 

Here at the distillation stage is where the naming conventions of shochu can get slightly confusing, as shochu has seen much rebranding within the past decade, elevating the spirit with more prestigious marketing. At the broadest level, shochu can be classified into two categories:

 

Otsuri-shochu (left) vs Korui-shochu (right).  Korui-shochus are made with towering column stills. Source: JSS

 

Otsuri-shochu (乙類焼酎): Single, pot distilled shochu; and Korui-shochu (甲類焼酎), multiple distillation. Otsuri-shochu roughly translates to "old-school" or "traditional" distillation, calling back to pot stills used for distillation from the 16th century onwards, whereas ko-rui shochu refers mostly to column distillation, a type of distillation introduced to Japan in the 1900s. Whilst within the 2006 Liqour Tax Laws has new names to describe each respective shochu (pot distilled distillation [単式蒸溜留酎] and multiple continuous distillation [連続式蒸留焼酎] respectively), the nomenclature for Otsuri-shochu and Korui-shochu is still permitted. Given the single-distillation nature of otsuri-shochu, it is generally said to have richer and more complex flavours; whereas for korui-shochu, it is referred to having cleaner, lighter flavours as multiple distillation runs take away more impurities as well as flavour-containing compounds. 

 

*There are also shochus that see a blend of both otsuri-shochu and korui-shochu together, such as konwa-shochu 混和焼酎. Otsui-ko shochu is where >50% of the blend is Otsuri-shochu, whilst Ko-otsu shochu is where >50% of the shochu blend is Korui-shochu. Japanese sources also point out that korui-shochu does not need to use koji in shochu production. Source: Oenon.jp

 

Perhaps more relevantly however would be the term Honkaku Shochu (本格焼酎) : as shochu was undergoing a new boom in the 1970s, the term "honkaku shochu", translating to "authentic shochu", was introduced to denote the artisanal quality of traditionally distilled shochu. By and large, honkaku shochu is a subset within otsuri-shochu, with the rules being as such: pot distillation, use of koji, only using approved ingredients during the main fermentation stage, the collected distillate is no more than 45% alcohol by volume, and distillation and only addition of water is allowed post distillation. It is this term "honkaku shochu" that we will see most of the time in supermarkets, izakaya shelves, or from your Japanese alcohol retailer. 

 

Most honkaku shochu bottles would include the label 本格焼酎. Source: Japanese Bar

 

The Sauce That Maketh The Shochu - Koji, Distillation Styles and Protected Geographical Indications 

The world is shochu is fascinating - compared to most spirit categories that limit the base ingredient of the spirit: barley for scotch, molasses or sugarcane juice for rum, agave for tequila and so on, shochu is special as it allows for a multitude of base ingredients - some that would definitely raise eyebrows! 

However, as mentioned before, honkaku shochu production (the focus of this series) hinges a lot on koji: and the type of koji matters! Here is a quick overview of the types of koji you typically see in shochu:

 

Source: JSS

 

Yellow koji (Aspergillus oryzae): perhaps the original koji mold. Originating from China more than 1,300 years ago, yellow koji is predominately used to make sake, alongside other fermented products like miso and soy sauce. Whilst yellow koji is lauded for its strong saccharification properties (turning starch to sugar) , yellow koji by itself doesn't produce acid, such as lactic acid - instead, in sake and shochu making, yellow koji and lactic acid producing bacteria co-exist and propagate. Yellow koji is not used by shochu producers as much as before, due to the chance of spoilage of the moromi in warmer climates. However, it is said to bring fruity, floral flavours to shochu.

 

Source: JSS

 

Black koji (Aspergillus luchuensis) : black koji is native to Okinawa. Whilst black koji is not as potent in saccharification as yellow koji, black koji produces citric acid - providing a safe, acidic environment that prevents spoilage in the moromi. Black koji is a key ingredient in making awamori (more on that later), but many shochu producers beyond Okinawa has also used black koji. 

 

Source: JSS

 

White koji (A. luchuensis mut. kawachii) : a mutant of the black koji strain, discovered by Genihciro Kawachi at the Kagoshima Taxation Bureau in 1918. Similar in properties to black koji, white koji is preferred by shochu makers as it does not discolour brewing equipment or make work clothes look dirty. 

 

Atmospheric Distillation (常圧蒸留). Source: JSS

 

Yet, another key difference that sets shochu apart from most spirits is the use of both atmospheric distillation (jo-atsu 常圧蒸留) and vacuum distillation (gen-atsu 減圧蒸留). As the name implies, atmospheric distillation is where distillation is done under atmospheric and ambient pressure, similar to how distillation is traditionally done across the globe. The temperature of the second moromi in the pot still is kept above ethanol's boiling point but under water's, allowing the alcohol to be distilled out of the moromi. Shochus distilled this way yield robust, deeper and richer flavours. 

 

Vacuum distillation, or reduced-pressure distillation (減圧蒸留). Source: JSS

 

In vacuum distillation (gen-atsu), the pressure within the pot still is made lower than ambient pressure using a vacuum pump! Here, under lower pressure, liquids boil at lower temperature - which means that the moromi within the pot still is no longer 78 degree Celsius (the boiling temperature of ethanol) for distillation to occur. This allows more volatile esters and flavour compounds to be distilled out of the moromi, giving lighter, fruitier and floral flavours to the shochu - a stylistic choice that fundamentally impacts the makeup of the spirit! 

 

And just like how different grape varietals impact a wine, different cultivars of base ingredients impact the flavour of shochu - with the above common cultivars used in sweet potato shochu making. Source : JSS

 

However, most shochu is typically referred to by their main ingredient - the bulk of the ingredient that was added during the main fermentation. In Japan, many ingredients are permitted in shochu making: shiso leaves, tea, milk, carrots, even seaweed - a full 49 ingredients are approved! The most common ones that most of us would chance upon would be sweet potatoes, rice, barley and buckwheat - ingredients that are bountiful and famous in the warmer regions of Kyushu. 

 

 

So let's take a recap. Shochu is often defined by its distillation type: more often than not 1) single distilled or multiple distilled, with the use of either 2) atmospheric distillation, vacuum distillation or a combination of both, alongside the use of 3) white, black or yellow koji and 4) it's main ingredient. Zooming into this lens, within the scope of honkaku shochu, are Geographical Indicators (GIs) endorsed by the World Trade Organisation for shochus from specific regions in Japan!

 

A map detailing the GIs for shochu. Source: JSS

 

Similar to the guiding rules of DOCs in Italian wine, or the rules that govern scotch made in Scotland, GIs in shochu function similarly to protect and acknowledge regional styles of shochu within Japan. As of 2026 [and the time of this article], there are nine GIs in Japan, with some having their own chic logo! Talk about regional pride. [We'll do a quick rundown of the GIs for shochu at the end of the article as well, so keep reading for more information!]

 

 

After explaining the ins and outs of shochu making, Olivia treated us to a flight of five shochus, giving us a snapshot of what are the most common types of shochu that we are likely to chance upon in the wild.

Shochu Review: Jufuku Shuzo Musha Gaeshi Kome (Rice) Shochu 25% 寿福酒造場  武者返し 米焼酎  25%

 

Jufuku Shuzo (寿福酒造場) hails from the Kuma region, located near the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto. Established in 1890, Jufuku Shuzo makes use of rice, barley and water from the Kuma region and the Kuma river. On that note, Kuma Shochu - one of the GIs of shochu within Japan, uses Kuma rice and water (more on the specifics below). 

 

Jufuku Shuzo. 

 

Musha Gaeshi 武者返し is one of the flagship shochus of the distillery - here, Kuma rice and Kuma rice white koji is used to make this shochu, which is then atmospherically distilled. The aim for this shochu was to make an everyday shochu that was easy to drink, like a "familiar companion". According to the distillery, the recommended way to drink this shochu is to either enjoy the shochu warm, or, warm the shochu first (without dilution), then poured over rice. This way, the savoury, oilier flavours of the shochu will be expressed, with more texture and body.

Over here, we are having the shochu neat, and is recommended by Kurara and Suiraku as a rice shochu to get acquainted with shochus made with predominantly rice. 

 

Musha Gaeshi. Source: Jufuku Shuzo

 

Nose: Big, ricey, with lots of steamed rice, rice flour, rice mochi. There is a bit of peach and banana as well, with a slight nutty character of fried rice and rice crackers deeper into the nosing. 

Taste: Dry, with lots of honjozo sake flavours - a bit of raw rice, cooked short grain rice, with plain, savoury flavours of unsweetened rice mochi and lightly baked salted rice crackers.

Finish:  Clear, with a mineral taste of mineral water. Slightly saline and savoury as well, with a slight vegetal starchy flavour of raw water chestnuts and boiled lotus seeds.

My Thoughts: 

 

 

Clear, tasty, uncomplicated. A very honest showcase of a clean, easy to approach rice shochu, with a very faithful delivery of rice aromas and flavours. Definitely one to get people started on rice shochu, or great as a baseline reference in a shochu tasting! 

Shochu Review: Iwakura Shuzo Sake Brewery Three-Stage Preparation Mugi (Barley) Shochu 25% 岩倉酒造場 三段仕込み 麦焼酎　25% 

Our next shochu is distilled by Iwakura Shuzo (岩倉酒造場), from Miyazaki Prefecture. Iwakura Shuzo is a small, mostly family ran shochu distillery, currently being helmed by the fourth generation Yukio Iwakura. For some time, the distillery was only ran by Yukio Iwakura and his wife, but now his son and daughter has joined the distillery to produce shochu.

 

Iwakura Shuzo. Source: Dareyami.jp

This shochu is unique as, as the name implies, has a three-stage preparation. The first brew uses of (white) rice koji, the second brew (white) barley koji, and the third using (white) rice koji again. The koji also uses Thai rice koji, instead of the usual short grained Japanese rice in its preparation. The shochu is distilled atmospherically, and then aged for three years, where the flavours mellow out - a common practice amongst shochu distillers where distilled shochu is aged between 6 months to three years on average. 

This shochu is described to combine the best of both rice and mugi shochu - giving the undeniable roasty, nutty flavours of barley whilst imbuing the shochu with a pleasant ricey aroma. 

 

 

Nose: Toasty, warm, with lots of aromas of toasted barely grain, baked nuts, and a slight bready aroma of walnut and multigrian bread. A subtle aroma of raw peanuts and banana peels. 

Taste: More sweet than the nose would suggest, with flavours of boiled peanuts, baked walnuts, and a slight buttery texture and profile reminiscent of raw macadamia nuts. More sweet flavours of caramel bits, sweet biscuits, toasted white bread at subsequent sips, with a slight astringency of wheat chaff. 

Finish: The finish is slightly brighter and more uplifting, with a slight rice koji funk of white miso at the end. Finishes with sweet oatmeal and biscuits.

My Thoughts: 

 

 

This shochu lends itself towards a more subtle profile, with more fresher, sweeter profiles than the typical cereal heavy mugi shochus. This shochu also has more in the way of funkiness, reminiscent if rice koji and miso. Very rich, velvety with strong barley notes balanced well with its rice counterpart. 

Shochu Review: Shiraishi Shuzou Tenguzakura Kame Tsubo Shikomi Imo (Sweet Potato) Shochu 25% 白石酒造 天狗櫻 かめ壷仕込 芋焼酎　25% 

Our next shochu takes us down south to Shirashi Shuzo (白石酒造) at Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Kagoshima Prefecture is famous for their many varietals of sweet potatoes, and so too are the shochus made from them. The flagship brand of Shirashi Shuzou is the Tenguzakura brand, named after the mythical Tengu - a brand in existence since the distillery's founding in 1894. 

 

Shirashi Shuzo. Source: Todoroki-Saketen

 

5th master brewer Takashi Shiraishi, who, graduated from Tokyo University of Agriculture and spent a year as a research student before joining the brewery. He views sweet potato and shochu making almost like wine - placing great emphasis on terroir and good quality produce before making a good product, priortising soil health and eschewing pesticide or fertiliser use. Takashi Shirashi even tends to rented fields to grow his own sweet potato for shochu production.

Here, the Tenguzakura Imo Shochu uses white rice koji, where the main mash is fermented in earthenware. The sweet potatoes are sourced from the potatoes grown by the distillery staff and Takashi Shirashi. The mash is then distilled atmospherically. The recommended way to drink this shochu is either chased with hot water or on the rocks. 

 

 

Nose: Sweet potato skins, accompanied with tropical fruit peels like dragonfruit and mango peel. More steamed sweet potato aromas arise after letting the shochu sit for a bit.

Taste: Floral, with a rich voluptuous texture, with flavours of rose water, rose syrup, geranium, alongside sweet potato flesh, underripe banana, tapering off to sweet potato pastry filling.

Finish: More roasty, with flavours of roasted sweet potato skins, baked banana bread crust, followed up by a floral, bee pollen honeyesque retronasal effect.

My Thoughts: 

 

Sweet and floral! Wow, I'm particularly impressed by that overt rose and geranium flavour on the palate, and that subtle but present bee pollen and honey finish! It really reads like a rose-sweet potato-honey dessert, with a rich, voluptous texture to boot. Super tasty, and definitely worht a try!

 

Shochu Review:　Yayoi Shochu Brewery Mankoi 30% Kokuto (Brown Sugar) Shochu 弥生焼酎醸造所 まんこい 30度 黒糖焼酎　

 

Sugarcane in Amami Islands. Source: JSS 

 

Mankoi hails from the Amami Islands off the west coast Kyushu, with Yayoi Shochu being the oldest distillery from the islands! The Amami Islands are famous for their sugarcane cultivation and brown sugar, and the only place where it is legally allowed to produce brown sugar shochu. 

 

Amami Island kokuta. Source: Explore Amami

Mankoi refers to the act of hosting someone, translating to ""inviting in," "welcoming," and "welcoming thousands of visitors." The shochu is made with white Thai rice koji, Amami Island kokuta, and distilled atmospherically. It is then aged in oak barrels for three years and bottled at 30%. There are many recommended ways to drink Mankoi 30%, such as adding soda water, 

 

 

Nose: Sweet, with aromas of brown sugar, cola, lots of mineral cooked black sugar and molasses. Mineral, like iron, with a slightly metallic yet confectionery aroma of cooked red dates. Slight woodsy aroma of oak and caramel. 

Taste: Biscuity at first, reminiscent of a caramel chip cookie, followed by pressed sugar cane, brown sugar, alongside poached green pear. There is a slight astringency of bamboo leaves that linger at the back.

Finish: Slightly astringent and nutty, like baked pecans, bamboo leaves, boiled peanuts and oven roasted kale. 

My Thoughts: 

 

 

Smells, tastes and finishes like a light oaked rum! Very approachable, with lots of brown sugar and caramel flavours and aromas. Whilst it's forward with all that cooked minerall brown sugar flavours and aromas, I do appreciate that hint of complexity from that greenness like dried bamboo leaves that's a bit hay-like as well. Clean, straightforward with mellowed out edges, this is the go to classic to kokuto shochu. Fantastic!

 

Awamori Review: Nakama Shuzo Miya no Tsuyu Awamori 30%  仲間酒造  宮之鶴 泡盛　30%  

We move on to awamori - a shochu that is somewhat different from the ones we see so far! Awamori could be considered the granddaddy of shochus in Japan - being the oldest distilled spirit that originated 500 to 600 years ago. Awamori hails from Okinawa (then Ryukyu Kingdom), and specfically, uses long grain rice as its main ingredient. For awamori to be classified as such, all the long grain rice used in the shochu must be inoculated with black koji, Okinawa's native koji. 

 

Black Koji. Source: Japan Times

 

Nakama Shuzo is from the Ishigaki City of Miyara Island, Okinawa, being founded in 1948. Currently, Nakama Shuzo is the smallest distillery in the entirety of Okinawa, being a small family run operation with 90% of their awamori being consumed within Miyara Island. The distillery only produces the Miyanotsuyu brand. 

 

Source: Okinawa-Awamori

 

Nose: Lots of dry rice aromas, like aged jasmine long grain rice. A bit roasty on the nose as well, like roasted rice, toasted onigiri, with a hint of caramel nuts like candied walnuts and almonds. 

Taste: Spicy, sweet, at first reminiscent of shichimi, followed by flavours of sweet rice syrup, warabimochi, rice pudding. The palate is a bit peppery like white pepper, with a warm heat of ginger leaves. 

Finish: Spicy, sweet, at first reminscent of shichimi, followed by flavours of sweet rice syrup, warabimochi, rice pudding. The palate is a bit peppery like white pepper, with a warm heat of ginger leaves.

My Thoughts: 

 

 

A unique yet approachable awamori! The rice flavours are not fully funky and of the koji characteristic, still feeling approachable with the overt sweet rice confectionery and cooked rice flavours. What was interesting was that ginger leaf and spicy shichimi flavour that comes through, intense at first but takes a backseat and instead tickles the tongue on subsequent sips. Very interesting awamori!

 

A big shoutout to Olivia and the team from Kurara and Suiraku for putting together this easy to digest shochu session - knowing that some of the bottles taste tested here today were handpicked and carried home from Japan itself!

In Part 2 of this Shochu Bao-Ga-Liao series, we'll be looking at ways that shochu can be served beyond neat, as well as food pairings courtesy of Suiraku! 

@vernoncelli

 

*As promised earlier, here is a quick rundown of GIs approved within shochu making. The GI system for shochus are a fairly new concept in Japan, initiated in 1995. I personally believe that in the next few years to come as shochu grows in popularity, we will see more official GIs for shochu. 

It is also important to note that distilleries and breweries are not bound by GIs, where they can choose whether to produce shochus that are eligible for the classification. 

Iki-Shochu (壱岐焼酎)

 

 

Iki-Shochu hails from the Iki island of Nagasaki prefecture, defined for its use of barley grown on Iki island. Iki-shochu must be pot distilled (honkaku shochu),  making use of one-third rice koji (koji made using rice) and two-thirds Iki barley.

Kuma-Shochu (球磨焼酎)

 

 

Kuma-shochu originates from the Kuma District of Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto prefecture. Kuma Shochu must use groundwater and rice from the Kuma District, highlighting the pristine quality of Kuma groundwater and the rice nourished on it. 

Satsuma-Shochu (薩摩焼酎)

 

 

Satsuma is the old name of Kagoshima Prefecture - with Satsuma-shochu a callback to the traditions of Japan's southernmost prefecture on the main island. Satsuma-shochu must be made using only rice or sweet potato koji as well as sweet potatoes grown in Kagoshima Prefecture, and then must be distilled and bottled within the prefecture. A heavy emphasis is placed on sweet potatoes as it is the flagship agricultural product of Kagoshima. 

Ryukyu Awamori (琉球泡盛)

 

 

Okinawa and its awamori is fascinately unique when considered its history with Japan. For most of its history, the Ryukyu Kingdom was a separate country from Japan, with its own governing rule and structure. It is also said that awamori is really the predecessor to shochus in modern day Japan, being Japan's first distilled spirit! The rules for Awamori are as follows: only long grain rice (English sources translate this to Thai rice), black koji, and all of the rice must be innoculated with black koji before single pot distillation. 

Hakata Shochu (博多焼酎)

Hakata Shochu is rather loosely defined compared to the other GIs - having to make use of local agricultural prdocue from Fukuoka Prefecture. Hakata shochu, whilst mainly made from barley, sees a wide range of ingredients: from carrots to tea leaves. 

Oita Mugi (Barley) Shochu (大分麦焼酎)

As is in its namesake, Oita Mugi Shochu clearly defines itself from its use of barley from Oita Prefecture, using only barley koji and barley. Oita became well known for its barley products during a 1970s boom in the reported health benefits of consuming barley. 

Miyazaki Honkaku Shochu (宮崎の本格焼酎)

Miyazaki prefecture is Japan's powerhouse for shochu - having been making the most shochu amongst all the prefectures for seven consecutive years up till 2017. Quite similarly to Hakata Shochu, Miyazaki Honkaku Shochu allows the use of multiple locally produced agricultural goods to produce shochu, though Miyazaki shochu is commonly associated with sweet potato shochus. 

Amami Kokuto (Brown Sugar) Shochu (奄美黒糖焼酎)

The Amami Islands are off the western coast of Kagoshima prefecture, famous for its unique brown sugar made from sugarcane. A shochu of this unique designation must only use rice koji and kokuto from the Amami Islands. 

Tokyo Shimazake (東京島酒)

 

 

The latest edition to the shochu GI family, coming in as recent as 2023, Tokyo Shimazake takes us away from Kyushu. Tokyo Shimazake spotlights the Izu Islands, a chain of islands off the east coast of Tokyo. Production is very small scale at these remote and sparsely populated islands (to note: there are only seven distilleries producing Iki-shochu, though production volumes are considerably larger) - only 8 distilleries are producing Tokyo Shimazake! Tokyo Shimazake must be made from barley shochu, and use barley, sweet potato or the combination of both during the main fermentation. These shochus would be hard to find - so keep your eyes peeled for these ones!