🥃 Kokutō shōchū
Japanese single-distilled shochu from black cane sugar (kokutō) and rice koji, up to 45% ABV; produced only on the Amami islands in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Kokutō shōchū (黒糖焼酎) is a Japanese single-distilled shochu made from black cane sugar (kokutō) and rice koji. According to Japan's National Tax Agency, it is produced only on the Amami islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. Its aroma is sweetish, from the black sugar, and its strength, as for single-distilled shochu, is up to 45% ABV.
How it is made. First, koji is grown on rice; it is a mould that breaks down starch. The koji ferments with water, then melted black sugar is added and the mash keeps fermenting. It is distilled in a pot still. At normal pressure it gives a fuller taste, while vacuum distillation gives a lighter one. Some of the shochu is aged for a long time.
Why only Amami. Japanese tax law allows shochu from sugar only as an exception. After the Amami islands returned to Japan in 1953, local distilleries received a special permit to make it from black sugar and rice koji. This exception still applies, so kokutō shōchū is made on only five islands of the archipelago.
History. According to the producers' association, a cane-sugar spirit was already made on Amami in the 19th century. During the Second World War there was a shortage of rice for awamori, and distillers switched to local black sugar. Today the islands have 25 distilleries, ten of them on Amami-Ōshima. Unlike Iki or Kuma, kokutō shōchū has no protected name.
Why this matters to you. On the label look for 黒糖焼酎 and 本格焼酎: this is single-distilled shochu from black sugar and rice koji. The sweet aroma does not mean sugar in the bottle; it comes from the mash. Strength is always stated. The WHO notes that there is no safe amount of alcohol.
Facts
| Raw material | black cane sugar (kokutō), rice koji, water |
|---|---|
| Distillation method | single distillation in a pot still; at normal pressure or under vacuum |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | up to 45% ABV |
| Legal basis | Japanese Liquor Tax Act No. 6 of 1953; exception for the Amami islands |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Kokutō shōchū → kind of → 🍶 Asian spirit traditions → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation
- Made from
- 🥃 Sugar cane and molasses
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Japanese
- Part of
- 🥃 Shochu, 🍶 Asian spirit traditions
- Related to
- 🌍 East Asia
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Rum, 🥃 Awamori, 🥃 Imo shōchū, 🥃 Mugi shōchū, 🥃 Kome shōchū, 🥃 Kome shōchū, 🥃 Mugi shōchū, 🥃 Satsuma
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that kokutō shōchū is rum?
No. Both are made from sugar cane, but kokutō shōchū is fermented with rice koji and, under Japanese law, is a single-distilled shochu of up to 45% ABV.
Where is kokutō shōchū made?
Only on the Amami islands in Kagoshima Prefecture: five islands of the archipelago, with 25 distilleries.
Why is it not made in other parts of Japan?
Shochu from sugar is generally not permitted. For Amami a special exception applies since the islands returned to Japan in 1953.
Is kokutō shōchū sweet?
No, it is a distillate: the sugar ferments in the mash, and only the sweetish aroma of black sugar remains in the spirit.
What is the strength of kokutō shōchū?
As for single-distilled shochu, up to 45% ABV. The exact strength is stated on the label.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Alcoholic fermentation — Yeast eats the sugar in the must and releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- 🥃 Rum — A distillate of sugar-cane molasses, syrup or juice: in the EU at least 37.5% vol., no flavourings or added alcohol, up to 20 g/l of sugar.
- 🥃 Sugar cane and molasses — Raw materials of rum, cachaça and other cane spirits: cane juice or molasses; rum made from them is at least 37.5% vol. in the EU.
- 🌍 East Asia — A region in the east of Asia — China, Japan and Korea: milk became an everyday food only in the 20th century, but there are old traditions such as rushan and so; China ranks third in the world for vineyard area.
Similar
🥃 Imo shōchū · 🥃 Mugi shōchū · 🥃 Kome shōchū · 🥃 Soba shōchū · 🥃 Kūsu · 🥃 Shochu
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- NTA, Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau: 焼酎に関するもの — types of single-distillation shochu (米焼酎, 黒糖焼酎 …) and history
- Japan Tourism Agency, multilingual commentary database (MLIT): Kokuto shochu (黒糖焼酎) — brown-sugar shochu of the Amami Islands, 25 breweries (10 on Amami Oshima), five islands; 19th-century origins, wartime switch from rice to local brown sugar, special permission after Amami's return to Japan in 1953; koji, fermentation, melted brown sugar added before distillation; reduced-pressure or atmospheric distillation
- Liquor Tax Act of Japan (酒税法, Act No. 6 of 1953), Art. 3 item 10: single-distillation shochu up to 45 % vol. (e-Gov)
- National Tax Agency of Japan: list of geographical indications for liquor (酒類の地理的表示一覧)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)