In the fifteenth century the technology for distilling alcohol had reached Japan, and production of shochu, a distilled clear alcohol began.
The production of sochu which probably originated in China. By sixteenth century, shochu, started to make appearance in Japan.
It has the reputation as the heavy drinker’s tipple of choice. This may be because until the end of the Edo period it was in general use as a medical disinfectant.
Over the next centuries, breweries in Japan’s central region experimented by adding natural enzymes and sweet glutinous rice to the shochu.
The mixture underwent long aging and purification, after which, sweet liqueur was bottled, becoming one of the Japan’s most exclusive and expensive alcoholic beverages.
This distilled alcohol replaced sake in sweet rice wine production, because with shochu the end product as sweeter and more richly flavored.
History of Shochu
