Shochu

Shochu is distilled alcohol made from a variety of raw materials – great in cocktails!

Shochu is Japan’s other indigenous alcoholic beverage, but unlike sake, shochu is distilled. It is made from one of several raw materials (rice, barley, sweet potato) and each of these gives a very distinctive flavor and aroma profile to the shochu. These profiles run the gamut from smooth and light (rice) to nutty, earthy and lingering (barley). The primary ingredient lends a unique flavor in much the same way that the peat and barley of each region in Scotland determine the character of the final scotch whiskey.