Best shochu: 16 award-winning bottles of the Japanese spirit to try

With international recognition for Asian spirits on the rise, shochu has been cropping up on bar menus around the world and in cocktails like highballs or even Martinis.

Shochu was first made in Japan over 500 years ago, and can be crafted from 55 different raw and processed ingredients, but is usually made from sweet potato, barley, buckwheat or rice. It has a relatively low ABV (around 20-30%) and is typically served on ice, with hot or cold water for dilution, or mixed with tonic or soda.

There are several different kinds of shochu on the market, with Honkaku shochu being of the highest quality. This kind of shochu is fermented using koji and yeast, distilled once and through the use of single pot distillation to retain the authentic flavour of the base ingredient.

Once distilled, there are a few different ways in which shochu can be aged. The first is in a barrel, which results in sweeter vanilla notes; the second in ceramic pots, which produces a milder shochu; and lastly in stainless steel tanks, which makes the purest shochu and places emphasis on the spirit’s base ingredients.

sochu distillery — Blossoms outside Machida Shuzo distillery on Amami Island in the Pacific Ocean

Chuko Awamori Distillery Co’s, Kame Aged 18 YO Shochu occupied the top spot on the list, with a remarkable 99/100 points, praised by the judges for its ‘layers of umami and soy sauce on the nose’ and an intriguing note of curry spice on the palate.

A total of four shochu bottlings scored an impressive 98/100 in this year’s IWSC, each earning a Gold medal. Judges were eager to highlight the finish of dark chocolate in Chie Imai Group’s Edible Fragrance Morris Shochu, while the Tsukushi Baisen Roasted Barley Shochu surprised the judges with autumnal notes of figs and plums. Zesty citrus flavours were at the forefront of Sakagura Ohtemon’s Madako Imo Shochu. In a more delicate approach, Shimaurara Shochu from Yaesen combines a subtle earthiness with clean flavours of cereal and a lasting gentle sweetness. All four go a long way to demonstrating the gamut of flavours and aromas encompassed within this versatile style of spirit.

All the shochu on this list was tasted blind by an expert panel of judges, including co-founder of Kaiju Drinks and sake sommelier Barry McCaughley, head of research and spirits curriculum at WSET Nick King and spirits educator and writer Billy Abbott.

HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE SPIRITS?

We run a tightly structured, rigorous spirits tasting process. That means that each spirit sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC spirit judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the drinks industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.

HOW DO WE SCORE THESE SPIRITS?

Only the best spirits sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, spirits have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.

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