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“We think the Kuma area used to use yellow koji back in the day,” explains Kurato Torikai. While most Kuma shochu is made from white koji, Torikai is unique as it uses yellow koji. At this time, the family also produced sake, vinegar, miso, and soy sauce. This distillery boasts over 400 years of history and started producing shochu at the end of the Edo period (1600-1868). The group got to learn about the shochu-making process at five different distilleries: Takahashi Distillery, Fukano Distillery, Sengetsu Distillery, Torikai Distillery, and Rokuchoshi Distillery. They ensure they encompass the tradition of the distillers before them.” “There was such a passion for what these distillers are producing and a strong connection to its history. “There is no better way to understand a liquor category than to be with the people that make it,” says Sutley. The eye-opening experience helped shed light on this spirit that’s just starting to emerge in the U.S.
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This past February, Bar Business Magazine Publisher Art Sutley along with mixologists Phil Wills and Mia Mastroianni had the privilege to travel to Japan and the Kumamoto Prefecture to learn more about shochu. There are 28 distilleries in this area, and the shochu produced in the hitoyoshi area of Kumamoto is protected with a geographical indication from the World Trade Organization to indicate its origin.
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The shochu is mixed and ground with water from the underground stream of the Kuma river, a totally pure water source. The Kumamoto Prefecture is particularly well known for its production of rice shochu, which is known as Kuma shochu. The shochu is then bottled and shipped out. From there, water is added to reduce the alcohol content of the original shochu (known as genshu) to between 24-36% depending on the type of shochu. The consecutive distilling method removes any components without alcohol and results in a very pure, almost tasteless and odorless product.ĭepending on the quality desired, the shochu is then stored and aged accordingly in clay vats, tanks, or wooden barrels. Single distillation is a very traditional distilling method and is used for making “otsu-rui” or “real-thing” shochu. There are two types of distillation-single and consecutive. In the second moromi, sweet potato that has been washed, steamed, cooled, and crushed is added to the mash and the mixture is fermented for about two weeks.ĭistillation, or the purifying of the moromi, occurs next.
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In the first moromi, the rice koji is mixed with water and yeast to convert the sugars into alcohol. Next are the two stages of the fermentation mash known as moromi. ( Note: Koji is also used to make traditional Japanese seasonings like soy sauce and miso.) Three types of koji mold are used in the production of shochu, which impart specific characteristics and tastes: white (most common), black, and yellow. This forms koji mold, which creates enzymes as it grows that break down starch into fermentable sugars. After the rice is cooled, koji is produced by sprinkling koji-kin (mold) on the rice. To make rice shochu specifically, a distillery and its Toji start with a rice base that is steamed, which both sterilizes the rice and helps to dissolve starches. Skillful master distillers called Toji make shochu. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on rice shochu. Shochu is typically distilled from rice, barley, sweet potato, buckwheat, or sugar cane. Whereas sake is a brewed spirit, shochu is a distilled liquor. The spirit has continued to grow in popularity in Japan, and an increasing number of bars and restaurants in the country are now serving shochu. Today in Japan, shochu is enjoyed primarily with meals as it pairs extremely well with food. The origins of Japan’s national spirit are a bit murky, but the spirit can be traced all the way back to the 16th century. Move over sake, there’s another Japanese spirit in town-shochu.