Oyuwari is a traditional shochu and awamori serving method that involves mixing the spirit with hot water. Oyuwari is recommended for atmospheric pot-distilled shochu and awamori rather than …
What is pot distillation?
We've learned that the first distillation of alcohol was a Muslim discovery, and what is now termed pot distillation was the original method. Thousands of years ago, pot distillation produced …
How common are unwanted additives in spirits?
Additives are much more common than you'd suspect by simply reading labels. Many spirits traditions have traded hands worldwide for so long that they generally aren't obliged to disclose their full …
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Where can I buy shochu?
Shochu (and awamori) are still Japan's best-kept secrets, so the brick-and-mortar bottle shops with a half-decent selection are few and far between. In fact, I have only ever visited one during my …
What is awamori?
Awamori is Japan's original spirit. It predates Japanese whisky by centuries and shochu by generations. Whenever I talk about Japan's best-kept gustatory secrets, I include awamori. Even if I only …