Shochu Shines as New Trend from Japan

Shochu Shines as New Trend from Japan

 

While most Americans are familiar with sake by now, Shochu is Japan's other indigenous alcoholic beverage that still remains somewhat of a mystery. Shochu is now outselling sake in Japan -- phenomenal for a spirit that less than 20 years ago was considered the drink of alcoholics and the impoverished. Stylish restaurants now flaunt their shochu selections, and people are paying more than $200 a bottle for a popular limited-production brand that retails for less than $25.

 

The main difference between sake and shochu is that the latter is distilled. It is also made from one of several raw materials. These include sweet potato, and shochu made from these is called "imo-jochu." Other materials commonly used include from rice, soba and barley. There is even one island where there a few places that make shochu from brown sugar. It can also be made from more obscure things like chestnuts and other grains. And, each of these raw materials gives a very, very distinct flavor and aroma profile to the final product. These profiles run the gamut from smooth and light (rice) to peaty, earthy and strong (potato). Indeed, each of these raw materials 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.

 

There are, in fact, many parallels between shochu and scotch, regional distinction based on local ingredients being only one of them. Another parallel to scotch can be found in the distillation methods. There are basically two main methods of distillation. The older method involves only a single round of distillation, and is made using only one raw material. Known as Otsu-rui or Honkaku ("the real thing") shochu, this type will more often reflect the nature of the original raw material. In this sense, it can be likened to single malt scotches. Honkaku shochu is usually enjoyed straight, on the rocks, or with a splash of water.

 

The second method, known as Kou-rui shochu, is one in which the shochu goes through several distillations, one right after another. It is often made with several of the commonly used raw materials. It is much smoother and is ideal for mixing in cocktails.

 

Perhaps the most interesting of all shochu are those made from the sweet potatoes of Kagoshima Prefecture: imo-jochu. While the flavors can be heavier and more earthy than shochu made from other starches, Kagoshima imo-jochu offers complexity and fullness of flavor that makes it quite enjoyable to many a connoisseur. The main reason you won't find much sweet-potato shochu in America, says Japan Sake Association manager Hasuo Muramatsu, is that small producers don't need to expand their markets -- domestic Japanese consumers are snapping up every bottle they can get.

 

With more than 3,000 varieties now available, some producers are marketing novelty items like shochu made from milk, pumpkin, green pepper and chestnut. In Japan, most shochu contains 25 percent alcohol, though some are available at 35 or 40 percent. In California, because of a loophole granted to producers of the similar Korean liquor soju, it can be served in restaurants that have only a beer and wine license if it is less than 25 percent alcohol and has the word "soju" on the label. A few Japanese shochu makers produce U.S. -only versions of their wares to meet this requirement. Tetsuo Mochizuki, president of the South San Francisco import firm N.A. Sales Inc., says his company is selling 50 to 60 times as much shochu since the regulations changed.

 

Shochu also appeals to the health-conscious. Research at Miyazaki Medical College showed that while all spirits provide an enzyme that dissolves blood clots, shochu provides far more of it than any other spirit tested -- more than twice as much as wine, and 80 percent more than sake, which came in second.

 

To American palates, the shochu craze seems at odds with Japanese cuisine. Indeed, even Mori-izo overpowers sashimi and grilled fish. However, what Japanese people eat on a daily basis is not what you see in Japanese restaurants here. Traditionally, shochu goes best with grilled black pork -- a specialty of the southern Kyushu region. It also goes well with grilled chicken, tempura and other fatty foods, which Japanese eat far more often than sushi.

 

Sources: www.sake-world.com, www.nymag.com, www.sfgate.com, www.nrn.com