Shochu is produced from a variety of ingredients in many areas of Japan, but the main characteristic flavors are as follows. Because satsumaimo (sweet potatoes) -the main ingredient in imo- shochu-have a higher sugar content than Irish potatoes, they produce a pleasant smell and sweetness when steamed. Shochu made from satsumaimo has the aroma of freshly steamed potatoes, a bold sweetness and a full-bodied taste. The lighter varieties of mugi-shochu have a pleasant aroma of barley and a fresh, pleasant taste. The varieties with body possess the heavier aroma and the distinctive umami of barley and are also suited to aging. The lighter varieties have a fruity flavor reminiscent of ginjo-shu (premium sake). Traditional varieties of kome-shochu are characterized by a full-bodied flavor, making them suitable for aging. Drinking them mixed with hot water brings out the richness of the flavor. Distilleries on the Amami Islands hold the only permits in Japan for the production of this type of shochu. Brown sugar from sugarcane is melted and used in its liquid form in the slow fermentation process. This shochu has the sweet aroma of brown sugar and the mellow flavor very reminiscent of the south seas. Being a distilled liquor, this shochu has the clean taste that goes with zero sugar levels. An Okinawan alcoholic beverage; similar to kome-shochu and dating back more than 500 years. Made with Thai rice, it is unique in that black koji mold is used in the slow fermentation process. Its distinctive fragrance differentiates it from kome-shochu, and its aged kusu variant has an even smoother, sophisticated taste. Soba-shochu is made in the regions in which soba (Japanese buckwheat) is produced. Its delicate flavor of soba is evocative of a cold region rather than hotter southern climes. This shochu really comes into its own when it is mixed with the water in which buckwheat noodles have just been boiled. A shochu made using the lees remaining after the sake brewing process. There are two methods to produce this type of shochu. The first is to put the sake lees back into water to ferment before distillation, and the other, more traditional method, is to steam a mixture of the lees and rice chaff in a steaming basket and then distill. The former method brings out a fruitiness and lightness reminiscent of sake, and the latter produces a unique shochu with the distinctive aroma and heavy umami of rice chaff. In the 1970s some distilleries started making shochu with non-traditional ingredients. The most popular of these was the shochu made using sesame seeds, characterized by its bold sesame aroma and light and subtle sweetness.