Alcoholic drinks can be divided into three categories,
depending on the way they are made. The three categories are brewed liquors,
distilled spirits, and blended liquors (brewed liquors blended with seasonings,
sugar, etc.). Shochu is a distilled spirit.
Distilled
spirits have a relatively short history - about 700 to 800 years, unlike
brewed liquors, which have been produced from before recorded history.
The reason for its short history is that unlike brewed liquors which are
fermented naturally, distilled spirits required the development of a distilling
process and a distiller.
The first distiller was said to have been located in the Mesopotamia region
about 3000 B.C. However the first distillery made specifically for the
purpose of distilling alcoholic beverages appeared in 13th Century China.
According to legend, the birthplace of shochu is China. It was then introduced
to the Ryukyu Islands (the current Okinawa Prefecture) in Japan through
Indo-China. Distilling techniques of shochu traveled from Okinawa through
the Amami Ooshima archipelago, and then on to Kagoshima. From there the
technique traveled north, throughout the entire country of Japan.
As distilling techniques were introduced to new regions in the country,
shochu with unique regional characteristics were created. Below are some
examples of regional specialties.
a) Awamori (Okinawa) – Shochu made in Okinawa is called Awamori, and is made from rice.
b) Grain Shochu (Southern Kyushu) – Originated in early 16th Century and is made from a variety of grains such as millet.
c) Imo Shochu (Kagoshima Prefecture) – Originated in the latter part of the 17th Century and is made from sweet potatoes.
d) Mugi Shochu (Nagasaki Prefecture) – Originated in early 19th Century and is made from barley.
e) Imo Shochu (Izu Islands) – Originated in mid-19th Century and is made from sweet potatoes.
f) Kokutou Shochu (Amami Ooshima) – Originated a few decades ago, this is made from raw sugar.
Besides the shochu listed above, each region in Southern
Japan boasts its own shochu ingredients and history. For a shochu connoisseur,
learning about the various ingredients and history of each type of shochu
adds to the pleasure of searching for that specific shochu to matche his
taste.