Both sake and shochu are Japan's "national alcoholic beverages"

Have you ever heard the word "kokushu"? "Kuni" is the old character for "country" and refers to the four types of alcoholic beverages that represent Japan and have been made and enjoyed since ancient times: sake, honkaku shochu, awamori, and hon mirin.

Among these, sake and shochu are probably the most familiar to us. There are many different types of shochu, including those that use sweet potatoes or barley as the main ingredient. This may lead you to wonder about the difference between sake and rice shochu. What is the difference between the two drinks, which are both made from rice?

Sake is a brewed alcoholic drink, while rice shochu is a distilled alcoholic drink.

A simple explanation of how rice shochu is made:
1. Koji is added to steamed rice to make rice koji, and water and yeast are then added to make the primary mash.
② Steamed rice and water are added and left to ferment for around 8 to 10 days to create the secondary mash (in the case of potato shochu or barley shochu, sweet potatoes or barley are used in this secondary brewing process).
③The resulting mash is distilled, stored and aged, then blended or diluted with water to complete the distillation.

The big difference with sake is the distillation process (3). While sake is a brewed alcoholic beverage, shochu such as rice shochu is in the same category as whiskey, which is a distilled alcoholic beverage.

Other differences between sake and rice shochu include:

There are several other differences between sake and rice shochu.
The rice polishing ratio for sake is generally high, at 50-70%, but for shochu it is higher at 85-90%. This is because the proteins and lipids contained in the outer layer of rice, which are the source of unpleasant flavors in sake, are essential for creating the flavor of shochu. As for the rice itself, sake often uses special rice suitable for sake brewing, such as Yamada Nishiki, but rice shochu mainly uses edible rice such as Koshihikari, Akitakomachi, and Hinohikari.
The types of koji are also different: sake uses yellow koji, while rice shochu also uses yellow koji, but if you want a richer flavor, you can use black koji, and if you want a lighter flavor, you can use white koji.

Rice shochu made by famous breweries is also popular

The Hitoyoshi and Kuma areas of Kumamoto Prefecture are famous for producing rice shochu. Shochu from this area is called "Kuma shochu" and is certified as a shochu with a designated production area. Recently, many sake breweries, including famous brands such as "Hakkaisan" and "Juyondai," have been producing rice shochu using their sake brewing techniques.

There is also the somewhat unusual "Kasutori Shochu." This is rice shochu made by extracting the alcohol remaining in the sake lees. The traditional way of distilling rice husks mixed with sake lees has a somewhat strong flavor, so recently, ginjo kasutori shochu, which is made by adding yeast and water to the sake lees and re-fermenting them, has become more popular. This is also made by breweries such as "Dassai" and is quietly gaining popularity.

Among shochu, rice shochu has a fruity, gentle taste that is close to sake. Although there are differences between brewed and distilled alcohol, each has its own deliciousness and merits.

Comparison of sake and rice shochu

Writer/Sake Master Eriko Fujita
Expand your world to a sake specialty store in Osaka and encounter a variety of sake and sake breweries. Favorite sakes are Akishika, Ohgi, and others.
Other than drinking, my hobbies include collecting minerals and raising swallowtail butterflies.