Shochu
Encyclopedia
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
. It is typically distilled
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
from barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es, or rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
, buckwheat
Buckwheat
Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
(weaker than whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
or standard-strength vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
but stronger than wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and sake). It is not uncommon for multiply-distilled shōchū, which is more likely to be used in mixed drinks, to contain up to 35% alcohol by volume.
Shōchū is produced everywhere in Japan. Its production in Japan started in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
.
Etymology
Linguistically, the word shōchū is the Japanese rendering of the Chinese (pinyinPinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: shāojiǔ), which literally means "burned liquor". (Incidentally, the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
-derived English word brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
—literally "burned wine"—uses the same linguistic concept to describe a distilled alcoholic beverage.) The Chinese word shāojiǔ is also rendered in Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
as soju
Soju
Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat.Most brands of soju are made in South Korea...
(Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
소주; Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
燒酒), which denotes a distilled alcoholic beverage that is similar to shōchū.
Drinking
Rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage made from rice. Unlike wine, which is made by fermentation of naturally sweet grapes and other fruit, rice "wine" results from the fermentation of rice starch converted to sugars...
. Its taste is usually far less fruity and depends strongly on the nature of the starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
used in the distilling process. Its flavor is often described as "nutty" or "earthy".
Shōchū is drunk in many ways according to season or personal taste:
- neat, i.e., on its own with nothing added.
- on the rocks, i.e., mixed with ice
- diluted with room temperature or hot water
- mixed with oolongOolongOolong is a traditional Chinese tea produced through a unique process including withering under the strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting. Most oolong teas, especially those of fine quality, involve unique tea plant cultivars that are exclusively used for particular varieties...
tea or fruit juice - as chūhaiChuhai, often sold as Chu-Hi as a canned drink, is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan. The name is derived from "shōchū highball". Traditional chūhai is made with shōchū and carbonated water flavored with lemon, though some modern commercial variants use vodka in place of shōchū...
, a mixed drink consisting of shōchū, soda, ice and some flavoring, often lemonLemonThe lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
, grapefruitGrapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
, appleAppleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
or umeUmePrunus mume, with the common names including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia, is usually translated as plum blossom. This distinct tree... - mixed with a low-alcohol beer-flavored beverage known as hoppyHoppy (beverage)is a beer-flavored non-alcoholic drink that Kokuka Beverage Company began producing and selling in Japan in 1948. Kokuka subsequently changed its name to Hoppy Beverage Co., Ltd...
Shōchū is widely available in supermarkets, liquor stores and convenience stores in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, however it is not yet sufficiently well known to be widely available outside of Asia, apart from select regions with large enough Japanese populations. Canned chuhai drinks are also sold in some of Japan's ubiquitous vending machines.
In Kyūshū, the center of production, shōchū is far more common than sake. Indeed here sake generally means shōchū, and is normally consumed mixed with hot water. First hot water is poured into the glass, then shōchū is gently added. The liquids mix naturally and stirring is unnecessary. Typically, the amount of shōchū exceeds the amount of hot water, and is enjoyed for its aroma. Occasionally, shōchū and water are mixed, left to stand for a day, and then gently heated.
Boom
The early 21st century witnessed a consumer boom in Shōchū within Japan, and in 2003 domestic shipments surpassed those of sake for the first time.Shōchū bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
appeared serving shōchū exclusively, and premium brands with a focus on particular ingredients, production methods, or aging techniques entered the market. The beverage has undergone change of image; formerly it was seen as an old fashioned drink, but now has become trendy amongst young drinkers, particularly women. The boom also had negative effects: It caused a serious shortage of sweet potatoes, a basic ingredient of some popular types of shōchū and, with the emergence of expensive premium brands, pricing scams appeared.
In 2005 a Japanese Television program called Kiken na Aneki
Kiken na Aneki
Kiken na Aneki is a Japanese television drama. It premiered in 2005 and was broadcast by Fuji Television, and ran for 10 episodes into 2006...
illustrated this change in drinking habits. Its plot surrounded the Minagawa family of Miyazaki province, who were brewers of a sweet potato shōchū called imojōchū. The lead character Hiroko (Ito Misaki) spends the majority of the series trying to come up with enough money to save the brewery from loan sharks, but in the process becomes involved with corporate distilleries. The larger companies formulate an advertising campaign that results in the imojōchū becoming a popular drink. In this fictional account the beverage is marketed to young women, when it previously had been mostly consumed by the older male generation.
There are several reasons for shōchū's recent popularity. With increasing health-consciousness, many people see it as more healthy than some alternatives. Shōchū is a low-calorie drink whose few calories are converted to heat by the body and emitted. There have been well-publicized claims of medical benefits, including that it can be effective in preventing thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
, heart attacks, and diabetes. It is also a versatile drink that is suited to most styles of cuisine.
Shōchū has become better known as a result of one man who consumed it regularly. Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...
, a Japanese citizen who claimed to have been 120 years old (but only lived to be 105), made shōchū part of his daily dietary regimen. This fact was mentioned along with his record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Because of his intimate passion for shōchū, many have speculated that shōchū is healthy and can actually promote longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
. This even prompted some local Ryūkyū shōchū brewers to market a special Longevity Liquor shōchū bearing his likeness on the front label. Despite these claims, Izumi's personal physician strongly advised against drinking shōchū, as his kidneys were not strong enough to process shōchū in his advanced age. But Izumi went on to say: "Without shōchū there would be no pleasure in life. I would rather die than give up drinking."
History
Arak (distilled beverage)
Arak or Araq , is a highly alcoholic spirit from the anis drinks family. It is a clear, colorless, unsweetened anise-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink...
in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
) or rambiki (alembic
Alembic
An alembic is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube...
in English) in Japan; arak is a generic term for a variety of distilled alcoholic drinks throughout the Middle East. Shōchū was originated in Persia, spreading west to Europe and east to India, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Okinawa. Around the mid-16th century, the technique arrived in Kagoshima, where shōchū was born. The distilled alcoholic beverage in Okinawa is known as Awamori
Awamori
Awamori is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing but of distillation ....
.
As far as can be determined from Japanese historical record, shōchū appears to have been made since at least as far back as the 16th century. For example, when the missionary Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
visited Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
in 1549, he recorded that "the Japanese drink arak made from rice [...] but I have not seen a single drunkard. That is because once inebriated they immediately lie down and go to sleep."
Further, at Kōriyama Hachiman shrine in Ōkuchi, Kagoshima
Okuchi, Kagoshima
was a city located in Kagoshima, Japan. It is now part of the city of Isa.Ōkuchi is the northernmost city on the mainland part of Kagoshima Prefecture. Only the island portion of Nagashima extends further north. Ōkuchi is a mountainous area that borders on Kumamoto Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture...
, the oldest existing direct reference to shōchū in Japan can be found. There, two carpenters working on the shrine in 1559 inscribed the following graffiti on a wooden plank in the roof: "The high priest was so stingy he never once gave us shōchū to drink. What a nuisance!"
From these early times through to the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
shōchū was produced throughout Japan the traditional kasutori way with a single round of distillation. In the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
machinery for repeated distillation was imported from Great Britain, making cheap mass-production of high-purity shōchū possible during this time of chronic rice shortages. Originally shōchū made the traditional way was called "old-style shōchū" and that produced using the new multiple-distillation machinery "new-style shōchū."
Definition and classification
Japan's alcohol taxation law, as revised in April 2006, defines two categories of shōchū(also called white liquor). These definitions are somewhat stricter than previously.
Multiply distilled shōchū
Alcohol distilled more than once with special machinery for that purpose, diluted for sale to an alcohol by volume level of less than 36%, that meets the following conditions:- Fruit or grain that has been allowed to germinate is not used as a base ingredient in whole or in part (preventing brandyBrandyBrandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
and malt whiskyMalt whiskyMalt whisky is whisky that is made from a fermented mash produced primarily from a malted grain. Unless otherwise specified, it is generally assumed that the primary grain is barley, although whisky is also made using malted rye...
from being considered shōchū). - It is not filtered through charcoal.
- If sugar is used as a base ingredient, in whole or in part, then the result of distillation must be at least 95% alcohol by volume (see discussion under brown sugar shōchū).
- It is not fortified at distillation time with other than expressly permitted ingredients (eliminates liqueurLiqueurA liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s).
Until the 2006 revision the law referred to this category as , sometimes abbreviated to "kōshu". Very sweet varieties of shōchū imported from Korea have recently grown in popularity and fall into this category (see soju
Soju
Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat.Most brands of soju are made in South Korea...
).
It is generally distilled from a fermented liquid similar to molasses. Repeated distillation forms ethyl alcohol of high purity which is typically odorless and has a taste of little distinction. Water is then added, and the precise nature of this water has subtle effects on the taste and palatability of the shōchū.
Shōchū kōrui is made from sweet potato, potato, and corn.
It is generally produced in modern large factories. Distillers make shōchū kōrui by weakening the distilled alcohol.
The specialized distillation equipment, called a patent still lends it to mass production at low cost, so large corporations produce this kind of shōchū in high volume. In Japan it retails in plastic bottle, can, and paper cup
Paper cup
A paper cup is a cup made out of paper and often lined with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world.-History:...
form and is consumed as a cheap alcoholic drink. It forms the base of several cocktail
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
s and liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
s such as chūhai
Chuhai
, often sold as Chu-Hi as a canned drink, is an alcoholic drink originating from Japan. The name is derived from "shōchū highball". Traditional chūhai is made with shōchū and carbonated water flavored with lemon, though some modern commercial variants use vodka in place of shōchū...
and umeshu
Umeshu
is a Japanese liqueur made from steeping ume fruits in and sugar. It has a sweet, sour taste, and an alcohol content of 10-15%. The taste and aroma of umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike alcohol. Famous brands of umeshu include Choya and Takara Shuzo...
.
Singly distilled shōchū
Alcohol distilled using other than multiple-distillation machinery, with alcohol by volumeAlcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
of no more than 45%, from one of the following:
- ferment whose primary ingredient is grain or potato and their kōjiAspergillus oryzaeAspergillus oryzae is a filamentous fungus . It is used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as huangjiu, sake, and shōchū...
- ferment whose primary ingredient is grain kōji
- ferment whose primary ingredient is sake leesLees (fermentation)Lees refers to deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate, or are carried by the action of "fining", to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and ageing. The yeast deposits in beer brewing are known as trub...
, possibly with rice and/or its kōji (see kasutori shōchū) - ferment whose primary ingredient is sugar (restricted types) and rice kōji (see brown sugar shōchū)
- ferment whose primary ingredient is grain or potato and their kōji along with other ingredients, provided the other ingredients form no more than 50% by weight
- other substances with certain restrictions
Until the 2006 revision the law referred to this category as , sometimes abbreviated to "otsushu".
The equipment used for single distillation is called a pot still
Pot still
A pot still is a type of still used in distilling spirits such as whisky or brandy. Heat is applied directly to the pot containing the wash or wine . This is called a batch distillation ....
. As the shōchū is distilled just once it retains the character of the base ingredient, typically rice, barley or potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
, with a strongly individual taste and aroma. Small-to-medium size enterprises make most brands, with the island of Kyūshū famous as the centre of production. Recently however larger corporations have been entering the market.
Maturation
Fresh shōchū is shipped after maturation.As a result of maturation, the flavor and the smell of shōchū settle.
Generally, maturation takes between one and three months.
A shōchū called "long term-maturation" is maturated over three years.
But long term-maturation does not always positively affect the flavor qualities of shōchū.
On the other hand, long term-maturation is particularly effective for awamori.
So, distillers often mature awamori for over ten years.
Maturation techniques vary in storage vessel and location, both of which affect the character of the shōchū.
Shōchū is matured in various places to impart unique flavors.
Typically in places where there are minimal variations in temperature and humidity.
For example, tunnels, limestone caverns, and caves.
Maturation from three to six months is called beginning maturation.
During this period sharp flavors in the shōchū generally decrease.
Shōchū matured from six months to three years generally have a mellow taste and from three years and over have beneficial flavors and aromas.
Honkaku shōchū
Until 2006 Japanese postwar tax law classified shōchū into "korui" and "otsurui" types. In Japanese these words mean something akin to "high-grade" and "low-grade" respectively.Fearing a tendency to believe that otsurui shōchū is somehow inferior to korui shōchū, the Kyūshū Otsurui Shochu Producers' Association lobbied the Finance Ministry, and in 1962 succeeded in having , or authentic shōchū, recognized as an alternative name. The name is believed to have been coined in 1957 by Enatsu Junkichi, the president of Kirishima Brewery of Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
.
However, since the term was not formally defined naming disputes arose. As a result on 1 November 2002 the law was clarified and shōchū satisfying any of conditions 1 to 5 of the above definition of singly distilled shōchū can be called honkaku shōchū. Those satisfying the final condition are excluded.
Shōchū consumption in Japan by categories
2009 Shōchū consumption in Japan by categories (tax base) is as follows;| Category | Domestic (kl) | Import (kl) | Total (kl) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiply distilled | 410,336 | 69,061 | 480,397 |
| Singly distilled | 531,128 | 374 | 531,502 |
| Total | 946,464 | 69,435 | 1,011,899 |
| (Sake) | 616,210 | 89 | 616,299 |
Moromitori shōchū
Most singly distilled shōchū is moromitori shōchū. This name derives from its production process:- Raw material treatment. Usually rice or barley is steeped in water, then steamed to promote starch gelatinizationStarch gelatinizationStarch gelatinization is a process that breaks down the intermolecular bonds of starch molecules in the presence of water and heat, allowing the hydrogen bonding sites to engage more water. This irreversibly dissolves the starch granule...
and cooled. - Kōji production. kōjikin, or kojiAspergillus oryzaeAspergillus oryzae is a filamentous fungus . It is used in Chinese and Japanese cuisine to ferment soybeans. It is also used to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as huangjiu, sake, and shōchū...
mold spores, are cultivated onto the material to form koji mold which creates enzymes as it grows. The enzymes break starch molecules down into sugar molecules that can be fermented, a process called saccharization. - Primary fermentation. The koji is mashed by adding water and fermented for several weeks in a tank or vat to form unrefined alcohol, called moto or (first stage) moromi.
- Secondary fermentation. The steamed main ingredient and water are added to the unrefined alcohol and fermented again to form (second stage) moromi. The ingredient added during this second stage determines the variety of shōchū; for example if sweet potato is added then it becomes potato shōchū.
- Distillation. Purification of the unrefined moromi alcohol.
Kōji
Aspergillus
Aspergillus is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide. Aspergillus was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli...
fungus, has a profound effect on the final taste of the shōchū. There are three varieties of kōji mold with distinct characteristics.
- White. Discovered at the beginning of the Taishō periodTaisho periodThe , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
when natural mutation and separation of some black kōji to white was observed. This effect was researched and white kōji was successfully grown independently. White kōji is easy to cultivate and its enzymes promote rapid saccharization; as a result it is used to produce most shōchū today. It gives rise to a drink with a refreshing, gentle, sweet taste. - Black. Mainly used in Okinawa to produce Awamori. It produces plenty of citric acid which helps to prevent the souring of the moromi. Of all three kōji it most effectively extracts the taste and character of the base ingredients, giving its shōchū a rich aroma with a slightly sweet, mellow taste. Its spores disperse easily, covering production facilities and workers' clothes in a layer of black. Such issues led to it falling out of favour, but due to the development of New Kuro-kōji (NK-kōji) in the mid-1980s, interest in black kōji resurged amongst honkaku shōchū makers because of the depth and quality of the taste it produced. Several popular brands now explicitly state they use black kōji on their labels.
- Yellow. Used to produce sake, and at one time all honkaku shōchū. However yellow kōji is extremely sensitive to temperature; its moromi can easily sour during fermentation. This makes it difficult to use in warmer regions such as Kyūshū, and gradually black and white kōji became more common. Its strength is that it gives rise to a rich, fruity refreshing taste, so despite the difficulties and great skill required it is still used by some manufacturers. It is popular amongst young people and women who previously had no interest in typically strong potato shōchū, playing a rôle in its recent revival.
Water
Water is one of the most important ingredients for making shōchū. The quality of water affects that of shōchū directly. Various kinds of water are used in the process of making shōchū.Varieties
There is a broad variety of moromitori shōchū. Four locations have achieved protection as geographical indicationGeographical indication
A geographical indication is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin...
s under World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
TRIPS
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights is an international agreement administered by the World Trade Organization that sets down minimum standards for many forms of intellectual property regulation as applied to nationals of other WTO Members...
article 23 and are noted below.
Rice shōchū
shares its base ingredient with sake. It has a fairly thick taste, and appears to have originally developed in regions too warm for sake production.Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
is particularly well known for its production of rice shōchū. Notably produced in Hitoyoshi-bonchi
Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 36,297 and the density of 172 persons per km². The total area is 210.55 km².The city was founded on February 11, 1942....
is protected as a geographical indication.
Rice shōchū is also produced in regions famous for their sake, such as Niigata
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
and Akita
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
prefectures.
Barley shōchū
is generally less distinctive than rice shōchū and easy to drink. However if cask-aged the taste can be quite sharp and strongly reminiscent of single-malt whisky.Oita Prefecture
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
and Iki
Iki, Nagasaki
is a city located at Iki Island in Nagasaki, Japan. It is located approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Fukuoka on mainland Kyūshū. The city consists of five inhabited and 17 uninhabited islands, and its entire area is within the Iki-Tsushima Quasi-National Park...
in Nagasaki Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...
are strong centres of production. as also been given protection as a geographical indication.
Potato shōchū
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, as its base ingredient. Originally it was almost exclusively produced in Kagoshima
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
and Miyazaki
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
prefectures, but nowadays is made across Japan using locally grown sweet potatoes.
It tends to have has a strong taste and a distinctive smell; more recently producers have made varieties whose aroma is somewhat suppressed.
Kagoshima's has been given protection under WTO rules as a geographical indication.
The 1956 film The Teahouse of the August Moon portrayed an American-occupied Okinawan village rebuilding its economy with potato shōchū.
The taste of potato shōchū is a bit smoky evocative of some whiskeys.
Brown sugar shōchū
From the Edo Period through to the time of the Pacific WarPacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, the Amami Islands
Amami Islands
The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
produced drinks such as Awamori and a distilled alcohol based on brown sugar
Muscovado
Muscovado is a type of unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses flavor.Also known as "Barbados sugar" or "moist sugar", muscovado is very dark brown and slightly coarser and stickier than most brown sugars. Muscovado takes its flavor and color from its source, sugarcane juice. It offers good...
. From the middle of the war through to the American occupation, because of a shortage of rice (the base ingredient of Awamori) and an inability to export the sugar-based alcohol to the mainland, a large surplus was produced. In 1953, when the Amami Islands were returned to Japanese sovereignty, the alcohol was not classified as "shōchū" under the 1949 alcohol tax law and therefore would attract a high rate of tax. The Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance (Japan)
The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...
, taking into account the desire of local residents and as part of a strategy to promote the region, gave special recognition to the local alcohol as . This recognition was geographically restricted to certain islands of Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
and was conditional on the use of rice kōji. This regional restriction remains in place to this day; as can be seen in the legal definition of singly distilled shōchū above.
Contrary to what might be expected brown sugar shōchū has a mild and not particularly sweet taste. Nowadays it is produced throughout the Amami Islands but Awamori is no longer made.
Before the war another alcoholic drink based on brown sugar was made in the Ogasawara Islands
Ogasawara Islands
The Bonin Islands, known in Japan as the are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan. Administratively, they are part of Ogasawara Municipality of Ogasawara Subprefecture, Tokyo...
. Its name translates as "sugar alcohol" and could be seen as a form of brown sugar shōchū. Production ceased because of the war, but recently, aiming to revive its popularity, a similar alcohol has been introduced. However as Ogasawara does not qualify for the above special regional exemption, this alcohol is instead classified as rum.
Soba shōchū
SobaSoba
is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...
, or buckwheat, has origins going back to just 1973 when Unkai Brewery Co., of Gokase, Miyazaki
Gokase, Miyazaki
is a town located in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki, Japan.-Demographics:As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 4,965 and density of 28.90 persons per km². The total area is 171.77 km². Much of the population work as farmers and fisherman, producing sansai and seema.-External links:*...
Prefecture, developed it using soba from the local mountainous region as its base ingredient. Since then shōchū producers across Japan have produced it, sometimes as part of a shōchū blend.
Taste is milder than barley shōchū.
Awamori
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
is the home of shōchū, which uses rice as its base ingredient. Prior to April 1983 it was labeled otsurui shōchū, but is now properly called "Authentic Awamori".
Awamori is made from Thai long-grained Indica crushed rice, not the usual short-grained Japonica of standard shōchū. The fermentation process employs black koji mold indigenous to Okinawa rather than the standard white variety, and secondary fermentation is not performed.
Fermentation is done in a way that creates plenty of citric acid, allowing it to be produced all year round despite Okinawa's hot climate. After distillation its strength is reduced with water to about 25% alcohol by volume, although some varieties go as high as 43%.
Japanese law classifies Awamori as singly distilled honkaku shōchū despite the different production process.
With its method of production Awamori could theoretically be made anywhere in Japan, but Ryūkyū Awamori is a protected geographical indication restricted to Okinawa.
Others
Japanese law admits a very wide range of unusual base ingredients, such as shiso leaf, sesameSesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
and chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
, and shōchū made from most if not all of these exists. For example, there is a milk shōchū brand called Makiba-no Yume. Others are generic shōchū mixed with a particular fruit juice or extracts.
With its peculiarity, such shōchū is typically intended to catch the eye of visitors to a region and has attracted limited broader appeal. Soba shōchū is a good example of one that has managed to achieve more widespread success.
Kasutori shōchū
In contrast to moromitori shōchū, is made by distilling the sake leesLees (fermentation)
Lees refers to deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate, or are carried by the action of "fining", to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and ageing. The yeast deposits in beer brewing are known as trub...
left over from the fermentation of sake. It is a form of honkaku shōchū.
It first became popular in the north of Kyūshū, and then spread to other areas, being manufactured during a period when it was not possible to brew refined sake across Japan. It is also widely used in sake production to stop fermentation before it is complete, which can help prevent degradation or give a dry taste. Shōchū made for this purpose is called .
During the Edo Period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
shōchū lees were used as a fertilizer during the rice-planting season. Many farms therefore installed distillation equipment to distill sake lees to produce shōchū lees. Whilst the lees were used in the fields, the distilled alcohol was drunk, or offered to the gods, at the festival held at the end of the rice-planting season to pray for a bountiful harvest. Kasutori shōchū has therefore also come to be known as sanaburi shōchū.
Owing to the recent surge in popularity of shōchū in Japan, an increasing number of manufacturers have been making kasutori shōchū.
Most kasutori shōchū is made in modern ways, shōchū made via older production processes has decreased sharply. People who wish to preserve Japanese culture call shōchū produced the historical way , such drinks have been revitalized by their activities.
Slang usage
Confusingly kasutori is also a slang term for a separate, inferior form of shōchū. After the Pacific WarPacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, in a chaotic society with a shortage of good alcohol, moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
shōchū began to circulate. Its source and ingredients were not apparent, and in extreme cases contained toxic methyl alcohol diluted with water. Such shōchū with ill side-effects became known as kasutori, and the association with poor shōchū lingered, sometimes even affecting the image of "real" respectable kasutori shōchū.
The expressions kasutori literature and kasutori culture also came to be associated with the upheavals of the postwar period.
Blended shōchū
Singly distilled and multiply distilled shōchū can be mixed to form blended shōchū. Formerly it was often mislabeled honkaku shōchū, or had no indication of mixing or relative volumes. Starting in 2005 the industry regulated itself and created the mark, with subcategorization based upon the relative volumes used.Singly distilled shōchū makes up 50%–95% of the total volume of singly distilled blended shōchū. This category is targeted at those viewing pure singly distilled shōchū as having too strong a smell or taste, aiming to be softer and more easily drinkable.
In multiply distilled blended shōchū singly distilled shōchū makes up 5%–50% of the total volume. With a focus on price, this tries to combine the cheap mass-production benefits of multiply distilled shōchū whilst introducing some of the distinctive flavor and aroma of the singly distilled form.
See also
- AwamoriAwamoriAwamori is an alcoholic beverage indigenous to and unique to Okinawa, Japan. It is made from rice, and is not a direct product of brewing but of distillation ....
—Distilled Okinawan alcoholic drink - Rice baijiuRice baijiuRice baijiu , also known as rice fragrance baijiu , is a variety of distilled beverage popular in China. Unlike other kinds of baijiu, it is distilled mainly from rice rather than from sorghum or other grains...
—Distilled Chinese alcoholic drink - SojuSojuSoju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat.Most brands of soju are made in South Korea...
—Distilled Korean alcoholic drink - Rượu đế—Distilled Vietnamese alcoholic drink
- Arrack—Distilled spirits in South and South-East Asia
- ArakArak (distilled beverage)Arak or Araq , is a highly alcoholic spirit from the anis drinks family. It is a clear, colorless, unsweetened anise-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink...
—Distilled alcoholic drink produced in the eastern Mediterranean countries - Oghi (distilled beverage)Oghi (distilled beverage)Oghi is an Armenian spirit distilled from fruits or berries. Oghi, a clear fruit vodka, is also referred to as aragh, which is the generic Armenian word for vodka of all kinds...