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| Honkaku (genuine) shochu is produced mainly in the southern part of the island of Kyushu. Historically, each region has produced shochu using the most common variety of grain grown there, so the taste of each shochu has reflected the characteristics of that region. |
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The composition of this region's soil is affected by the volcanic ash that has settled there through the ages, making it more suitable for the cultivation of satsumaimo (sweet potatoes) than rice. For this reason, the main shochu produced in Kagoshima is imo-shochu, one of the few examples in the world of distilled liquor made from potatoes. |
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Soba-shochu made from Japanese buckwheat is well known, but there are also other kinds of shochu made in Miyazaki Prefecture. In the northern region of the prefecture mugi-shochu (made from barley) is made, and in the south, near the border with Kagoshima Prefecture, imo-shochu is common. |
The area around Hitoyoshi in the Kuma region of Kumamoto Prefecture is located in an isolated basin where rice has been produced for ages. Kome-Shochu is produced in this region. |
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Iki is a small island in the Genkainada Sea located 60 kilometers to the north of Hakata City in Fukuoka Prefecture. Stockbreeding and agriculture have been popular on the island since early times, and the cultivation of barley through the ages has led to the island becoming known as the "birthplace of mugi-shochu." The characteristic of the mugi-shochu made on Iki Island is that the koji is made from rice, with one part of this kome koji (malted rice) being mixed with two parts of rice. In other regions, the koji used for mugi-shochu is mainly made from barley. |
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Located in the north of the island of Kyushu, these prefectures are known for the production of Japanese sake. Because a small amount of alcohol remains in the sake lees (the fermented rice solids that are a by-product of the sake brewing process), this used to be distilled and drunk after the rice was planted in the paddy fields, with the remaining lees then used as fertilizer in the paddy fields. In the past, shochu made from sake lees (known as kasutori-shochu) was found all over the main island of Japan, but it is very rare these days, and mugi-shochu made from barley is now the main variety produced in this region. In particular, in Oita Prefecture there is a large manufacturer that ships mugi-shochu all over Japan, so this area is well known for the production of mugi-shochu. |
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In the islands centered upon Amami Oshima in the Amami Islands group located between Kyushu and Okinawa, kokuto-shochu is made using brown sugar as its main ingredient. We know that rum is a distilled liquor made using brown sugar, but the use of kome koji (malted rice) makes it different from rum. Production of shochu from brown sugar only started on the Amami Islands following World War II, before which it was made from millet or rice. The characteristic of kokuto-shochu is the sweet, full-bodied flavor unique to brown sugar and its crisp taste. |
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This group of islands is located in the seas to the south of Tokyo and therefore is relatively distant from Kyushu, Okinawa or the Amami Islands to the south of Japan. In years gone by the Izu islands were a penal colony and it is said that in the mid-nineteenth century exiles from Kagoshima in Kyushu taught the residents how to make shochu. Since then the production of the shochu has become part of the islands' tradition.
Imo-Shochu was produced because the islands are suited to the cultivation of sweet potatoes and barley. Local imo-shochu differs from that of Kagoshima in that the koji is made from barley rather than rice. Market trends have resulted in the production of mugi-shochu becoming the most common. |
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Okinawa Prefecture is famous for awamori, but this is also closely related to shochu. Awamori may even be best described as Okinawan kome-shochu.
How awamori is different from standard kome-shochu:
- Awamori is distilled after the moromi (main mash) is made using a process of single fermentation (ichidan shikomi) of the kome koji made from Thai rice and the rice as the basic ingredient. Standard kome-shochu is produced using a double fermentation process (nidan shikomi) made up of the first and second fermentation.
- From olden times, only black koji mold has been used in Okinawa.
Distilling technology was introduced to the Okinawa region from China and the south around the time of the Ryukyu Dynasty (1429-1879) and then to the main islands of Japan. There was an awamori distillery run by the Dynasty at the foot of the hill of Shuri Castle, the seat of power in Okinawa. In those times, awamori was reserved for use as a tribute to China or the Shogunate Government in Edo, making it a luxury liquor only tasted by the most influential people.
One other difference between the awamori of Okinawa and the shochu of mainland Japan is that aging has been used since early times. Awamori aged for at least three years is referred to as kusu or old liquor. Awamori is not only aged for three years, but there are also many vintage products aged for 5, 10, 20 or more years. As is the case with the aging of Western distilled liquor, aging for many years creates a pleasantly rounded, mellow taste.
These days, while most of the shochu on the market is 25% alcohol, in general, awamori is 30% alcohol, with the aged varieties mostly being as high as 40 to 44% alcohol. |
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