KOKUTO SHOCHU
Kokuto Shochu,
Amami Island’s Original Spirits.
Kokuto shochu is a distilled spirit made exclusively in Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan. What is kokuto shochu?
“Kokuto” refers to specially refined brown sugar and “shochu” is a distilled spirit made mainly in Southern Japan.
In short, kokuto shochu is a distilled spirit made from brown sugar. While the other shochu distillers outside Amami are using sweet potato, barley, or rice as their main ingredients,
kokuto shochu is made uniquely from brown sugar.
Sugarcane, the raw material for kokuto sugar, has deep roots in Amami’s agriculture.
– there are strong connections between kokuto shochu and the cane farmers in Amami.
Amamian locals regard kokuto shochu as the representative beverage of their culture.
On your first sip of kokuto shochu, you will notice that there is a hint of brown sugar in its aroma, then flavor from rice koji will dominate your palate.
There are various ways to enjoy kokuto shochu – on the rocks, straight or with water. Kokuto shochu is also well known for its hangover-free characteristic.