Shochu Kohaku No Madorimi

The technique of distilling using fermented ingredients appeared in Japan in around the 15th century following numerous trade exchanges with China. The Japanese began producing an alcohol made from fermented rice, ‘awamori’, inspired by alcoholic drinks arriving from Thailand. This rice-based alcohol quickly spread across Japan and gradually developed into ‘shochu’, a traditional drink made from various base ingredients (such as rice, wheat, barley or sweet potato) that are fermented then distilled.

Unlike western whiskies and brandies in general, awamori and shochu are made from an initial must that is seeded with a microscopic fungus that transforms the complex sugars such as starch into simple sugars to enable malting, a key step that helps facilitate distillation of the base ingredient.