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Baiju/soju/shochu
about and producers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What country has Baijiu | China |
| What was Baijiu also called | Shaojiu |
| How does Baijiou compaer to soju and Shochu | Baijiu is stronger in alcohol than both Japanese shochu and Korean soju. |
| What is the principal raw base of Baijiu | Typically, sorghum is the principal raw ingredient of baijiu |
| Other possible bases of Baijiu | rice, glutinous rice, wheat, corn, yam, or barley. |
| What is the fermentation starter of Baijiu | the naturally cultivated fermentation starter, called jiuqu (pronounced something like jo-choo). Made from raw wheat or barley, or steamed rice, and rich in starch, and pressed into a house-brick sized form for convenient use, it acts as an incubator for yeast and microbes. |
| Where does Baijiu fermentation process take place | The fermentation tends to happen in mud brick or concrete pits. |
| How many categories of Baijiu are there | 12 |
| What are top producers of Baijiu | Kweichow Moutai Baijiu, China Luzhou Laojiao Guo Jiao - National Cellar 1573 Baijiu, China Wu Liang Ye Baijiu, Sichuan, China Most expensive - Kweichow Moutai 50 Year Old Baijiu, China $8000 |
| What country has Soju | Korea |
| What is the base of Soju | Traditionally produced from grains like rice, wheat and barley, Soju is now more widely based on a variety of ingredients including sweet potato and tapioca. |
| How does Soju differ from Shochu | Soju is typically multi-distilled, can be sweetened with sugar and other additives and is more commonly found in its diluted, lower alcohol form. Shochu, in comparison, may be single-distilled and aged in wooden barrels or terracotta pots and be produced from a wider range of base ingredients including brown sugar (kokuto shochu). |
| How is Soju made | The traditional method for producing soju involves single distillation.Wheat is washed, dried and crushed, then mixed with water and filtered and combined with boiled rice. This fermentation starter, or nuruk, is then transferred to a pot where it is left to ferment with water for 15 days. After fermentation, the resultant rice wine is boiled in a sot, a Korean cauldron, that is fitted with a still, or soju gori, that collects the vaporized alcohol. Traditional soju is still made in this way today |
| Why was the traditional method of making shoju prohibited | the traditional distillation of soju was prohibited with the passing of the Grain Management Law in 1965, which outlawed the use of grain in alcohol production. Soju producers were forced to find an alternative base ingredient, turning instead to sweet potatoes, molasses and tapioca from which they were able to distill a 95-percent alcohol, which could be then diluted with a mixture of flavorings and water. |
| What is the typical alcohol for soju at present | In 1973, soju had dropped to an average ABV of 25 percent. This trend for low-alcohol soju has continued despite the revoking of the Grain Management Law in 1999, and today soju can be widely found with less than 17 percent alcohol. |
| Soju producers | Jinro Soju, South Korea Hwayo 53 Soju, South Korea Andong Soju, South Korea most expensive- Hwayo 53 Soju, South Korea $100 |
| In what country will you find Shochu | Japan |
| What is Shochu made from | It is distilled from various ingredients including sweet potato, barley and long-grained rice. |
| What is the typical alcohol of Shochu | Depending on the style, shochu can range from 25 to 35 percent alcohol by volume. This makes it stronger than Sake but weaker than Baijiu and Japanese Whisky. |
| 2 majoe areas of production for Shochu in Japan | Today, Japan produces shochu (or similar products) in all 47 of its prefectures, of which Kyushu Island and Okinawa Prefecture are the two major areas of production. There are four officially designated appellations. These are Ryukyu Awamori, Iki Shochu, Kuma Shochu and Satsuma Shochu. |
| How do you drink shochu | Due to the high level of alcohol in shochu, it can be found served in a variety of ways: neat, over ice, with cool (mizuwari) or warm (oyuwari) water, heated and as a base spirit in cocktails. This myriad of drinking styles has meant that shochu can be enjoyed as an aperitif, digestif or alongside food. A popular way to drink shochu in Japan is with otsumami – a selection of snacks specifically designed to be eaten with alcohol. |
| What is shochu distilled from | Shochu is typically distilled from sweet potato (imo), rice (kome), barley (mugi), buckwheat (soba), brown sugar (kokuto), or long-grained rice. There are less common versions made from ingredients as diverse as sesame seeds, chestnuts and carrots. |
| What is awamori | Style of Shochu. Awamori is a unique variant made within the Okinawa prefecture. Unlike other shochus it is only made from long grain indica rice, and uses indigenous black koji mold (see below). It is only ever distilled once. |
| 2 categories of Shochu outside of Awamori | Outside of Awamori, shochu falls into two categories: Honkaku and Korui. The difference between these distinct styles of shochu lies in the number of distillations, with Honkaku a single-distilled shochu and Korui the double-distilled alternative. |
| Step 1 of Shochu production | Koji - mold There are three key steps in the production of shochu, starting with the preparation of the mold, or koji. Rice or barley is first soaked in water and then steamed and cooled, before it is laid out ready for the application of the kojikin (Aspergillus oryzae) fungus spores. The koji mold is left to develop undisturbed for a few days. During this time the rice starch is broken down into sugar ready for fermentation. |
| Step 2 of Shochu production | Moromi - mash The next stage in the process is the preparation of the moromi, or "fermented mash". This is made from the fermentation of koji together with water and yeast over a six- to eight-day period. Once the primary fermentation is complete, the core ingredient is crushed and combined with the moromi and water. This kick-starts the second round of fermentation. This secondary moromi is allowed to ferment for approximately eight to 10 days. After this, distillation can begin. |
| step 3 of shochu production | Genshu - distillation The distillation process, which takes place in pot stills, is designed to purify the shochu and raise the level of alcohol up to approximately 25 percent. The spirit may distilled again before aging to obtain the higher-alcohol Korui shochu. Water may also be added to the genshu at the filtration and bottling stage in order to adjust the final alcohol levels. |
| shochu aging | The distillate, or genshu, is either aged for anywhere between a few months to several years, in the case of single-distilled Honkaku. Shochu is traditionally and most often aged in ceramic pots. Extended maturation gives a milder taste without any color modification. |
| Shochu producers | Mori Izo Imo Shochu, Satsuma, Japan Kirishima 'Kuro - Black Kirishima' Imo Shochu, Japan Honkaku Spirits 'Mahoko' Honkaku Shochu, Japan Most expensive- Tsutsumi 12 Year Old Taru Kome Shochu, Japan $180 |
Created by:
Cheroncowan