Distill your tastes with a fresh category of spirits made in Japan. Shochu is made of unique ingredients with uncompromising quality creating a pantheon of new flavors. This spirit is experiencing a new renaissance of international popularity.
Take a sip with usWe are explorers who love discovering new spirits and making them more accessible to others. We will update this site as we track down, learn, and drink. All of this is for science, of course.
There are so many distilleries and shochus out there. We hope to provide a unified index of as many of them as possible their import status, and of course, flavor.
Legends suggest that the best shochu doesn’t leave a headache or hangover. Still, there isn’t enough information easily available on this magical spirit. We’ll publish our academic research here.
With more than a few hundred spirits in this category, there are so many more possibilities of new cocktails. We’ll be reporting from the front lines on new shochu recipes crafted by bartenders.
Takara Shochu Jun is a perfect place for the uninitiated to dip their toes into, especially if you don’t yet appreciate the earthiness of sweet potato, or were unfortunate enough to have your first time come across too strong thanks to a soba or peanut shochu.
Read moreDrink this however you want, it’s going to be a good experience. It plays like a soft cognac; fruity, nosy, woody.
Read moreThis citrus-forward shochu liqueur surprised me at first with the main ingredient (a lime-like fruit from Japan called Sudachi).
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Status: Identified
Many avid drinkers in Japan swear by this potato shochu - Akarui Nouson, distilled by Kirishimacho Jyoryusho, the smallest shochu distillery in former Kirishima-city, Kagoshima.
Status: Identified
Distilled from 100% Beni Satsuma Sweet Potatoes (a sweet, mild specialty sweet potato of Southern Kyushu) and made using an original Sweet Potato Koji instead of Rice Koji.
Status: Identified
An umeshu with a uniquely sweet and gently tart taste of ume fruit with notes of almond from the pit
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The #1 sellling premium rice shochu in Japan - Hakutake Shiro Kome Shochu - is clean and easy with an elegant aroma and a soft mouthfeel.
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Hakutake Zenkoji is made with 100% Koji and aged for 3 years which produces deep rich flavors
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Fantastic grapey aromas followed by ripe plum, ripe apricot and confectionery raspberry form a powerful bouquet on the nose but once in the mouth it takes a more elegant and subtle turn.
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A delicate perfume of ripe melon, litchi and barley gives way to a soft, mellow mouthful.
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Its rich flavor extends even when mixed with water. Experience the excellent taste of genuine shochu produced using a process exclusive to this 20% proof drink.
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Outstanding aroma combined with excellent body. iichiko 25% is a genuine shochu that further refines the taste of iichiko.
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Made with barley and black koji in an unaltered atmospheric distillation process. Ark Jakunbaku is bottled unfiltered, which requires an intense level of skill and dedication to achieve.
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Using Compressed distillation method, this shochu has very fruity and sweet aroma of its ingredient, Sugar cane. This shochu has very fruity aroma and rounded, but refreshing taste.
Status: Reviewed
A carefully cultivated Mugi shochu, aged in oak barrels with a nose of sweet vanilla and rich flavors.
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Barley is roasted to perfection before being used to make this rare and special Shochu.
Status: Reviewed
A liqueur made with the t juice of sudachi fruit harvested between late August and late September. A clean taste, combining refreshing acidity with moderate bitterness.
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Introducing Rihei Ginger, a meticulously handcrafted, single-distilled Ginger Honkaku Shochu from Japan.
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This Genshu - i.e. an undiluted Shochu - has a mellow and sweet taste despite it’s high alcohol content. Contains all natural ingredients and no additives.
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Kuro Shiranami is made with 100% Kogane Sengan sweet potatoes, and black Koji it has a mild sweetness, and light aromatics and body.
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This light and refreshing Awamori has a vibrant and crisp taste, and serves as a perfect introduction for Awamori beginners.
Status: Reviewed
Blending elevent types of aged shochu into a smooth spirit with a distrint fragrance and mild flavor.
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Status: Identified
Brewed with 100% imo from start to finish, then, distilled once, Ikkomon has become a popular staple for sweet potato shochu lovers.
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Using their original creation “Soba Koji” and 100% buckwheat. The combination of ingredients and technique create a rich, toasted, nutty and semi-sweet Shochu that is easy and pleasant to drink.
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With exclusively Japan-grown rice polished down to 70% and their original aromatic yeasts, and fermenting at a low temperature an elegant floral aroma and a clean tasting Shochu.
Status: Identified
Takara Shuzo polished the Barley down to 60% of the original size and used their own Tanrei Shiro Koji, fermenting in a low temperature. This creates refreshing yet aromatic Shochu.
Know of a Shochu you’d like us to track down? Curious what a bottle of elixir you found actually is? Want to send us free stuff? Send us an email or fill out this form.
