Shochu (pronounced “sho-chew“) is an incredible Japanese distilled spirit that originated over 500 years ago.
What makes shochu unique?
1. Shochu can be distilled from many different local ingredients, the most popular being sweet potato, barley, rice, and kokuto sugar.
2. Because it uses koji, shochu has umami.
3. Genuine shochu is single-distilled, preserving the flavors and aromas of the ingredients. Most spirits are distilled many times, losing flavor with each pass.
Finally, you should know that single-distilled shochu is sugar-free, carb-free, naturally gluten-free, and additive-free.