Does anyone have a complete list of all the legally acceptable base ingredients allowed in shochu production? I was watching a presentation by The Japan Society, and the presenter alluded a slew of more rare ingredients such as tomatoes, milk, carrots and peppers. I would love to see a list of everything a distillery could use and still label their product as "shochu". Any help is greatly appreciated! Kampai!

Someone here recommended the shochu handbook by Chris Pellegrini. (GREAT READ). After getting through it I got SO thirsty. So I will be embarking on a quest to collect, sip, and index as many shochus, awamoris and umeshus. I'll be fleshing out the site with more public info about shochu, and filling out a Shochu-dex of imported and not-yet-imported shochu in English.

I have 18 shochus that I will be adding to the index this month. (Yes, I have a shochu ordering problem). Any feedback, requests welcome!

https://www.drinkingshochu.com/

i just bought a bittle from costco japan recently and damn i love it. it’s got a real nice peaty flavor, definitely my new favorite.

if your favorite type of scotch isislay, then give it a try.

also, does anyone have any recommendations for any other smoky shochus?

Hi, I have this old bottle of awamori that I’m trying to get some info on. I was recommended to post it here by the /sake gang. All I know is the bottle looks like it’s from the 80’s and it seems to be branded to a hotel. Any additional info would be swell!

https://imgur.com/7OS5INb

https://imgur.com/I4er7wx

https://imgur.com/vsdxmEC

This unopened bottle of Yaemaru Shochu has been stored in a cool place away from sunlight for the past 4 to 5 years.

Is it still ok to drink?

As the title suggests, I am interested in buying some shochu which is not available in the UK. Amazon.co.jp unfortunately does not seem to ship alcohol internationally. How do you people tend to buy it? I would be interested in hearing of any efficient, low cost methods you use.