Shōchū
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 honkaku shōchū (本格焼酎, honkaku shōchū?), or authentic shōchū, recognized as an alternative name. Those satisfying the final condition are excluded. Most singly-distilled shōchū is moromitori shōchū.Iki shōchū (壱岐焼酎?) as also been given protection as a geographical indication. This even prompted some local Ryūkyū shōchū brewers to market a special Longevity Liquor shōchū bearing his likeness on the front label.
After the Pacific War, in a chaotic society with a shortage of good alcohol, moonshine shōchū began to circulate. Many farms therefore installed distillation equipment to distill sake lees to produce shōchū lees.
Production ceased because of the war, but recently, aiming to revive its popularity, a similar alcohol has been introduced. Typically, it contains 25% alcohol by volume (weaker than whisky or standard-strength vodka but stronger than wine and sake). Shōchū is produced everywhere in Japan, yet the home of shochu is Kyūshū island. Shōchū should not be confused with sake, a brewed rice wine.
I would rather die than give up drinking. The exact origin of shōchū is unclear. 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. Japanese law admits a very wide range of unusual base ingredients, such as shiso leaf, sesame and chestnut, .
For example, when the missionary Francis Xavier visited Kagoshima Prefecture in 1549, he recorded that the Japanese drink arak made from rice Further, at Kōriyama Hachiman shrine in Ōkuchi, Kagoshima, the oldest existing direct reference to shōchū in Japan can be found. There are three varieties of kōji mould with distinct characteristics. There is a broad variety of moromitori shōchū.
Recently however larger corporations have been entering the market. Until 2006 Japanese postwar tax law classified shōchū into korui and otsurui types. Originally it was almost exclusively produced in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, but nowadays is made across Japan using locally-grown sweet potatoes. It tends to have has a strong taste and a distinctive smell, sharply dividing drinkers into those who do and don t like it.
Its plot surrounded the Minagawa family of Miyazaki province, who were brewers of a sweet potato shōchū called imojōchū. It is most commonly distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice.
People who wish to preserve Japanese culture call shōchū produced the historical way Seichō kasutori shōchū (正調粕取焼酎?), such drinks have been revitalized by their activities. Confusingly kasutori is also a slang term for a separate, inferior form of shōchū. However, since the term was not formally defined naming disputes arose.
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. 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 mould indigenous to Okinawa rather than the standard white variety, and secondary fermentation is not performed. This recognition was geographically restricted to certain islands of Kagoshima Prefecture and was conditional on the use of rice kōji (malt).
In the Meiji period 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. Four locations have achieved protection as geographical indications under World Trade Organization TRIPS article 23 and are noted below.
There, two carpenters working on the shrine in 1559 inscribed the following graffiti on a wooden plank in the roof: From these early times through to the Edo period shōchū was produced throughout Japan the traditional kasutori way with a single round of distillation. 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.
This name derives from its production process: Kōji mould (麹?) has a profound effect on the final taste of the shōchū. 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.
Shōchū likely first arrived either in Kyūshū through Thailand and Ryukyu (Okinawa) . Its flavour is often described as nutty or earthy . Shōchū is drunk in many ways according to season or personal taste: Shōchū is widely available in supermarkets, liquor stores and convenience stores in Japan, however it is not yet sufficiently well known to be widely available outside of Asia, apart from select regions with large enough Japanese populations.
The name is believed to have been coined in 1957 by Enatsu Junkichi, the president of Kirishima Brewery of Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture. The Ministry of Finance, 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 brown sugar shōchū (黒糖焼酎, kokutōjōchū?).
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. In Japan it retails in plastic bottle, can, and paper cup form and is consumed as a cheap alcoholic drink.
Water is then added, and the precise nature of this water has subtle effects on the taste and palatability of the shōchū. 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. It has a fairly thick taste, and appears to have originally developed in regions too warm for sake production.
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. 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.
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. Because of his intimate passion for shōchū, many have speculated that shōchū is healthy and can actually promote longevity.
Formerly it was often mislabelled honkaku shōchū, or had no indication of mixing or relative volumes. 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.
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. 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.
But Izumi went on to say: Without shōchū there would be no pleasure in life. Whilst the lees were used in the fields, the distilled alcohol was drunk, or offered to the gods, at the sanaburi (早苗響?) festival held at the end of the rice-planting season to pray for a bountiful harvest.
Shōchū made for this purpose is called hashira shōchū (柱焼酎?). During the Edo Period shōchū lees were used as a fertilizer during the rice-planting season. This allows these establishments to sell cocktails based on soju or shochu while avoiding the expense and restrictions of obtaining a full bar license. Shōchū recently became the focus of a consumer boom, and in 2003 shipments within Japan surpassed those of sake for the first time. In 2005 a Japanese Television program called Kiken na Aneki illustrated this change in drinking habits.
Notably Kuma shōchū (球磨焼酎?) produced in Hitoyoshi-bonchi is protected as a geographical indication. The distilled alcoholic beverage in Okinawa is known as Awamori. 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.
More recently producers have made varieties whose aroma is somewhat suppressed. Kagoshima s Satsuma shōchū (薩摩焼酎?) 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 particularly evocative of almonds. From the Edo Period through to the time of the Pacific War, the Amami Islands produced drinks such as Awamori and a distilled alcohol based on brown sugar. Canned chuhai drinks are also sold in some of Japan s ubiquitous vending machines. In Kyūshū, the centre of production, shōchū is far more common than sake.
Very sweet varieties of shōchū imported from Korea have recently grown in popularity and fall into this category (see soju). It is generally distilled from a fermented liquid similar to molasses. It forms the base of several cocktails and liqueurs such as chūhai and umeshu. Alcohol distilled using other than multiple-distillation machinery, with alcohol by volume of no more than 45%, from one of the following: Until the 2006 revision the law referred to this category as otsurui shōchū (焼酎乙類, shōchū otsurui?), sometimes abbreviated to otsushu . The equipment used for single distillation is called a pot still.
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. Small-to-medium size enterprises make most brands, with the island of Kyūshū famous as the centre of production.
Soba shōchū is perhaps a good example of one that has managed to break out of this mould with more widespread success. In contrast to moromitori shōchū, kasutori shōchū (粕取り焼酎?) is made by distilling the sake lees left over from the fermentation of sake. Oita Prefecture and Iki in Nagasaki Prefecture are strong centres of production.
Originally shōchū made the traditional way was called old-style shōchū and that produced using the new multiple-distillation machinery new-style shōchū. Japan s alcohol taxation law, as revised in April 2006, defines two categories of shōchū (also called white liquor). The larger companies formulate an advertising campaign that results in the imojōchū becoming a popular drink.
From 2005 the industry regulated itself and created the blended shōchū (混和焼酎, konwashōchū?) 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. There have been well-publicized claims of medical benefits, including that it can be effective in preventing thrombosis, heart attacks, and diabetes.
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. Shigechiyo Izumi, a Japanese citizen who up until recently held the world record for longest life span (120 years), made shōchū part of his daily dietary regimen.
These definitions are somewhat stricter than previously. Alcohol distilled more than once with special machinery for that purpose, with alcohol by volume of less than 36%, that meets the following conditions: Until the 2006 revision the law referred to this category as kōrui shōchū (焼酎甲類, shōchū kōrui?), sometimes abbreviated to kōshu . However as Ogasawara does not qualify for the above special regional exemption this alcohol is instead classified as rum. Soba, or buckwheat, shōchū (そば焼酎, sobajōchū?) has origins going back to just 1973 when Unkai Brewery Co., of Gokase, Miyazaki Prefecture, developed it using soba from the local mountainous region as its base ingredient.
With a focus on price, this tries to combine the cheap mass-production benefits of multiply-distilled shōchū whilst introducing some of the distinctive flavour and aroma of the singly-distilled form. . Indeed here sake generally means shōchū, and is normally enjoyed mixed with hot water.
Its source and ingredients were not apparent, and in extreme cases contained toxic methyl alcohol diluted with water. To achieve a perhaps more authentic and subtle taste, mix the shōchū and water, leave it to stand for a day, and then gently heat. Some shōchū makers label their products for US export as soju, the Korean distilled liquor, due to a loophole in liquor licensing laws in New York and California that allows restaurants with a beer & wine license to sell soju.
Its taste is usually far less fruity and depends strongly on the nature of the starch used in the distilling process. Shōchū is a low-calorie drink whose few calories are converted to heat by the body and emitted.
Repeated distillation forms ethylalcohol of high purity which is typically odourless and has a taste of little distinction. Shōchū (焼酎?) is a distilled beverage native to Japan.
Rice shōchū (米焼酎, komejōchū?) shares its base ingredient with sake. Its name translates as sugar alcohol and could be seen as a form of brown sugar shōchū.
Originally alcohol the strength of shōchū was called araki (arak) or rambiki (alembic) in Japan; arak is a generic term for a variety of distilled alcoholic drinks throughout the Middle East. 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. Singly-distilled and multiply-distilled shōchū can be mixed to form blended shōchū.
Rice shōchū is also produced in regions famous for their sake, such as Niigata and Akita prefectures. Barley shōchū (麦焼酎, mugijōchū?) is generally less distinctive than rice shōchū and easy to drink. Potato shōchū (芋焼酎, imojōchū?) uses sweet potato, widely cultivated across southern Kyūshū since the Edo period, as its base ingredient.
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. The liquids mix naturally and stirring is unnecessary.
Typically the amount of shōchū exceeds the amount of hot water, creating a pleasant aroma, and it causes only mild inebriation. 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.
With increasing health-consciousness, many people see it as more healthy than some alternatives. However if cask-aged the taste can be quite sharp and strongly reminiscent of single-malt whisky.
As the shōchū is distilled just once it retains the character of the base ingredient, typically rice, barley or potato, with a strongly individual taste and aroma. First hot water is poured into the glass, then shōchū is gently added.
This fact was mentioned along with his record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Kumamoto Prefecture is particularly well-known for its production of rice shōchū.
Since then shōchū producers across Japan have produced it, sometimes as part of a shōchū blend. Taste is milder than barley shōchū. Okinawa is the home of Awamori (泡盛, awamori?) shōchū, which uses rice as its base ingredient.
