Shochu's Silent Revolution: Japan's Best-Kept Secret Goes Global

While the spirits world obsesses over whisky and gin, Japan's most versatile spirit has been quietly perfecting itself for five centuries. At the IWSC 2025, shochu delivered its most impressive performance yet - 97 medals from entries that spanned from traditional sweet potato expressions to innovative aged awamori, proving this lower-ABV spirit deserves serious global attention.

One of the stand-outs was Moon Distillery's Awamori Shochu. It scored a near-perfect 99 points to claim a Gold Outstanding medal and demonstrated why Okinawa's black koji-fermented rice spirit represents shochu at its most sophisticated.

Beyond Sake's Shadow

"Shochu is a Japanese spirit, very old and very interesting," explains Marie Cheong-Thong, IWSC Spirits Judging Committee member and upcoming founder of the British Shochu Association. "It came about five or six hundred years ago when distilling somehow ended up in Japan - with awamori being the first of the distilled spirits."

Unlike sake's ceremonial associations, shochu became the people's drink - lower in alcohol, higher in versatility and infinitely more food-friendly. At around 25% ABV, it occupies the perfect middle ground between wine and whisky, making it ideal for extended dining experiences.

The seven Gold Outstanding medals this year showcased shochu's remarkable diversity: sweet potato (imo), barley (mugi), brown sugar (kokuto), and awamori styles all reached the competition's highest tier, with scores of 98-99 points.

Innovation Within Tradition

What makes shochu genuinely exciting is its possibility. "Shochu is made from five base ingredients," notes Cheong-Thong, "but within these, you can add up to 55 other agricultural ingredients. These include milk, asparagus, sweetcorn - anything starch-based."

Among this year's winners, innovation appeared in unexpected places. The 14-year-old Vanilla Awamori from Chuko Awamori Distillery (98 points) proved that extended ageing can elevate awamori's floral complexity. Meanwhile, Jun No Jun Shochu's unique mugi-kome blend (97 points) from Kodama Distillery showed how cross-category techniques create new flavour profiles.

Even more intriguing were Taiwan's honey shochu liqueurs - Beekeeper's Gold and Formosa Ember - which earned Bronze medals and suggest shochu's techniques are inspiring innovation beyond Japan's borders.

The Export Opportunity

The commercial case for shochu grows stronger as global drinking trends align with its strengths. Cheong-Thong said that it has "a lower ABV than many other spirits, which means you can enjoy it throughout a meal without overpowering the food."

This positions shochu perfectly for health-conscious consumers and the growing premium-but-moderate alcohol market. Its versatility - neat, on ice, with hot or cold water, or in cocktails - offers multiple entry points for curious drinkers.

"Shochu is slowly expanding with organisations like the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association giving significant support to promotion," says Cheong-Thong, who's launching the British Shochu Association to support UK market development.

Quality Recognition

The IWSC results prove quality isn't shochu's challenge - recognition is. "This year we had a great competition for shochu - there were very, very good samples," reflects Cheong-Thong. "I’m very proud of shochu as a category."

With 60% of medals being Silver (the competition's sweet spot for commercial success), the category shows both breadth and consistency. Traditional powerhouses like Nishi Shuzo Co claimed multiple Golds, while smaller producers like Sakimoto Awamori Distillery proved innovation pays off.

As Cheong-Thong concludes: "We all know shochu, but we're not quite there yet in terms of global recognition. It deserves to be seen as a premium, world-class spirit."

The 2025 IWSC results suggest that recognition is finally coming.

Explore the Shochu Gold and Gold Outstanding winners below. The full selection including tasting notes, Silver and Bronze medals is available on our website.