A frosty shochu highball at Bar Goto in New York. iichiko. Shochu has been an ‘up-and-coming spirit’ in North America for close to a decade. In 2010, The Washington Post declared shochu the ...

I recently tasted samples of two versions from Iichiko, which has been Japan’s best-selling shochu producer for the past 30 years or so (and means “it is good”).Iichiko makes about ten ...

Mugi Hokka (barley shochu, Tensei Distillery, 25% ABV). Because 8% of the mash bill is roasted barley, Pellegrini calls it “French Breakfast,” with aromas of toasted baguettes, cacao and coffee.

Shochu, Japan’s Favorite Liquor, Finds an Audience in Los Angeles. Three Los Angeles-based brands are riding the wave of interest in the centuries-old, sugar-free alcohol, which some fans claim ...

Shochu can be challenging to use in cocktails because of its delicate, low-proof nature, but at Jettison, in West Dallas, bar manager George Kaiho's beautifully blends earthy sweet potato-based ...

Shochu is made using koji, a type of mold that adds notable savory and umami notes. Cask resting (like gin, shochu-makers can’t put “barrel aged” on labels here, ...

Although Japan is most famous for its sake, the traditional tipple has a lesser-known cousin: shochu. With a 500-year history in Japan, this spirit is brewed like sake, before going through a ...