• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kanpai

Find us on Facebook Find us on Twitter Find us on Instagram
  • Shochu
    • What is Shochu?
    • How to Drink Shochu
    • The Shochu Diet
    • Shochu Tasting Notes
      • Awamori
      • sweet potato shochu reviews
      • mugi (barley)
      • rice shochu reviews
      • Aromatic Shochu Reviews
  • Izakaya
    • What is an Izakaya?
    • Izakaya Cuisine
  • How to Izakaya
  • Events
  • About Us

Pitching Shochu to the World

April 14, 2015 by Stephen Leave a Comment

kumamoto sake

(sake and shochu being promoted during a shochu buying trip to Kumamoto Prefecture)

People often ask why I promote shochu and it’s a fair question. Early on in my shochu exploration, my frustration was that I could only drink it in select bars and restaurants and virtually all of those were Japanese. So my “reason” became, “I want to drink shochu anywhere I go.” That still remains my goal and we’re still a long way from that dream. But I’d love to be able to walk into my local dive bar or go to a ballgame and have a glass of my favorite shochu.

Every bit of the work I do in this area is toward that goal, and fortunately the Japanese government has begun to help. On April 14, 2012 (3 years ago today) they named shochu and nihonshu (what we usually call “sake” – not “saki”) as the national liquors of Japan. Following the press release, the government has begun investing in promotion of sake and shochu around the world. Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of these events being held in Kumamoto Prefecture, home of some amazing rice shochus (and a fair number of sake breweries).

kumagawa

(a mountain stream that feeds into the Kuma River)

The Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) invited me to be a guest speaker for a foreign shochu buying trip in Kumamoto City. At the event, held in March 2015, buyers from the US, UK, Israel, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Cambodia met with sake and shochu producers from around Kumamoto. We toured Hitoyoshi, the center of the rice shochu universe. Hitoyoshi is nestled in the valley of the Kuma River, which has been voted the best river in Japan every year for years. The clean water runs fast and deep out of the mountains, resulting a smooth, soft water that’s perfect for shochu production. As a result 28 distilleries dot the river valley in a community of about 35,000 people. In addition, we were able to enjoy local Kumamoto izakaya cuisine with local shochu, adding deeply to the experience.

Takahashi

(international sake buyers surveying the production floor at Takahashi Shuzo, producer of the best selling rice shochu, Hakutake Shiro)

For many of the buyers, even those from dedicated sake importers, this was their first introduction to shochu. They were impressed by the crisp, dry flavors and complex aromas, but many worried that they would have a hard time selling shochu to bars or restaurants that were unfamiliar with how to serve shochu. This certainly remains a challenge, but I was pleased to see at least two deals made with shochu distillers during the trade event. Little by little, shochu continues to grow.

buyers

(negotiating table between foreign buyers and a rice shochu maker)

This event was one of many simultaneous efforts to bring shochu to the world. JETRO, the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Association, the local shochu guilds, and many other government and private organizations throughout Japan and overseas are beginning to work together to promote shochu globally. I hope that with time we’ll be successful.

Kampai!

 

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: kome shochu, kumajochu, Kumamoto, rice shochu, Sengetsu Shuzo, shochu, Takahashi Shuzo, Torikai Shuzo

« Gift Shochu: Two for One
Hoppy – postwar nostalgia in a bottle »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

Shochu Reviews

iichiko Saiten

After winning some awards on the international spirits circuit (including double-gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition), there's ample evidence that iichiko Saiten deserves serious consideration by bartenders everywhere.

Shochu Reviews

iichiko silhouette

This iichiko silhouette is probably the most common Japanese shochu currently available in the United States. In NYC I’ve seen it in random mom & pop liquor stores as the only shochu among a shelf of sake options. It’s most commonly available in 750ml bottles, though I’ve seen other sizes in other countries. This is a great starter shochu, which is why I’ve chosen it for my first tasting note. It was my introduction to shochu back in 2008. I’d had Korean soju before, but Japanese shochu is a strikingly different (and better) experience.

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu KOME

Putting your nose in a glass of The SG Shochu Kome shows you just how complex a vacuum distilled rice shochu can be. Ginjo sake aromas from the yeast, pineapple, melon, and a faint hint of dairy-like lactic acidity are all present.

The SG Shochu Cocktail Recipes

Bartender Shingo Gokan mixes a cocktail.
The SG Shochu brand manager, Joshin Atone, talks with Kanpai.us about shochu's versatility and potential in the cocktail. He also shares three recipes for bartenders to try.

Shochu Reviews

Tasting Notes: Nankai

Nankai Shochu
At first whiff, Nankai smells faintly grassy, which is common in kokuto shochu owing to how kokuto sugar is made from fresh cut cane and that fresh grassiness is a sign of well made kokuto sugar. Sugar cane is, after all, a tall perennial grass. It is still pretty wild that they can capture that after fermentation and distillation.

Tasting Notes: Lento Shochu

Lento is the top selling kokuto shochu in Japan, and it is available internationally as well. Try it on the rocks or with sparkling water for a refreshing taste of the Amami Islands. Kanpai!

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu MUGI

The SG Shochu MUGI Label
The SG Shochu MUGI wraps several barley shochu identities into one. It's lightly barrel-aged and carries the associated sweet notes. But there's also a graininess that is revealed when the temperature of the drink drops. It's a versatile barley shochu that can be enjoyed a variety of ways.

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework