
Distillery mixes funky beats into brown sugar shochu
The team behind this "sonically aged" spirit says the music genres coax out different flavors from the spirit, adding a rhythmic twist to the centuries-old island tradition that is gaining fans far beyond Japan.
"When I became the CEO in 2021 after taking over the business from my father, I knew I had to make changes to appeal to a wider range of customers," said Selena Nishihira, president of Nishihira Distillery on the sun-drenched island in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Made by fermenting boiled-down sugarcane syrup with rice koji, brown sugar shochu is prized for its fragrant, mellow character. It contains no artificial sweeteners or additives.
Like Japanese sake and whisky before it, this Kagoshima spirit is being rebranded for international palates as domestic alcohol consumption continues to decline.
Brown sugar shochu's growth overseas is being driven by the end of pandemic-era restrictions, global interest in Japanese spirits, and the potential for food pairing.
The company ships to the United States, Taiwan, Sweden, Thailand, Singapore, Poland and Britain. It sells about 600-1,200 bottles of brown sugar shochu overseas a year.
Awamori, a similar distilled liquor made from long-grain rice, was produced on Amami Oshima and throughout the Ryukyu Islands. Due to the Satsuma Domain's restrictions on using local sugarcane, brown sugar shochu was produced secretly in the Amami Islands as early as the 19th century.
In the desperate days of World War II, rice shortages led Amami producers to use brown sugar as a substitute.
Production officially began amid the turmoil of the U.S. postwar occupation, which limited commercial transactions with mainland Japan, leading to rice scarcity.
When the islands were returned to Japan in 1953, brown sugar shochu was taxed more heavily, and classified along with rum because koji, a yeast starter, was not used.
However, producers convinced the government to approve brown sugar shochu as a distinct type of shochu with a lower tax rate on the condition that koji be used.
After the war, Nishihira Distillery also began producing brown sugar shochu. Most of the koji production is done by hand, and traditional jugs are used for brewing, according to master distiller Yuya Kawaguchi.
Although she was born into the business, Nishihira, 37, pursued a career in music after graduating from music college.
"After about a decade, I finally figured out how shochu can be related to music, making the most of my musical background," she said.
As CEO, she has modernized label designs and created a high-alcohol product suitable for cocktails.
In November 2023, the distillery started using sonic aging, akin to the use of classical and other music in the maturation of whisky, based on a suggestion from employee John Cantu.
Workers installed special speakers onto six separate barrels in a music room, playing house music, hip-hop, reggae, Latin music, rock, and "shima uta" -- the local folk music of the islands -- to see how the sounds impart different flavors.
The company believes sound waves from different genres stimulate the shochu, prompting chemical reactions between the liquor and barrel wood molecules, and accelerating and modifying the aging process.
"Shima uta tends to have a more soothing effect with its lower frequencies, while genres like rock or hip-hop introduce more energetic vibrations due to their higher tempo and bass-heavy nature," Nishihira writes on her company's website.
Bartenders are also playing a key role in promoting brown sugar shochu, using their mixology expertise to introduce customers to the Amami spirit. With an alcohol content of around 40 percent, brown sugar shochu is strong enough to make a cocktail.
"When I first tried brown sugar shochu, I was amazed by its rum-like flavor," said bartender Soran Nomura, the 41-year-old owner of several Tokyo establishments.
He recently served a cocktail based on the brown sugar shochu Beni Sango, aged for over five years in oak and sherry barrels, at Quarter Room in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward.
The cocktail known as Flowers is a mix of Beni Sango, osmanthus coffee, and other plant-based ingredients. It was inspired by the artwork of Andy Warhol.
Nomura's menu features Amami distilleries like Nishihira brown sugar shochu. He says that his exploration of the spirit of the islands has only just begun.
"I am paying respect to the individual makers and their craft, which has been cultivated in a close-knit community," Nomura said. "As a bartender, I always think about how I can promote brown sugar shochu to a wider range of customers, including those overseas."
The Nishihira distillery is promoting limited "comparison sets" editions of its three-year sonic-aged brown sugar shochu through crowdfunding until the end of August and is set to go on sale in November before its official launch in 2026.
As it continues to pursue overseas growth, the distillery will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027.
"I believe we can continue to innovate the shochu tradition if we embrace new ideas and modern twists," Nishihira said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Analysts react to Japan's Nikkei scaling record high
Traders clap as the Nikkei index closes at an all-time high, at the dealing room of Nomura Securities in Tokyo on Aug. 12. (REUTERS) Japan's Nikkei gauge of blue-chip stocks powered to a record high on Tuesday, taking its cue from all-time peaks scaled by many global markets this year. Here are analysts' comments about the rally in Japanese stocks: SHOICHI ARISAWA, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE INVESTMENT RESEARCH DEPARTMENT AT IWAICOSMO SECURITIES, TOKYO "The speed of the rally in the past few days is too fast. It is surprisingly fast particularly because we have not seen any new positive market-moving catalysts. "Japanese shares were lagging behind other countries, particularly in Europe. European shares rose because investors shifted their focus away from the U.S. "Japan has become a target now because the country's corporate outlook is good and the impact of U.S. tariffs seems not as serious as the market had expected. There will be more companies which will revise up their outlook due to the limited impact of the U.S. tariffs. The yen remains weak, which is also positive for Japanese companies." MATT SIMPSON, SENIOR MARKET ANALYST, CITY INDEX, BRISBANE "Whether we call it the Trump pump or the Taco trade, it's all the same really. Asian indices are broadly higher on headlines of the U.S. and China extending their trade truce by 90 days. "The Topix may have been first to its record it just seemed a matter of time before the Nikkei joined the club." TAKAMASA IKEDA, SENIOR PORTFOLIO MANAGER AT GCI ASSET MANAGEMENT, TOKYO "The Nikkei was not able to hit a record until today because chip-related shares and auto shares dragged the index. The Nikkei could soon peak as technology shares that led the Wall Street's rally have slowed down." NORIHIRO YAMAGUCHI, ECONOMIST, OXFORD ECONOMICS, TOKYO "Japanese equities are rising sharply due to a combination of positive factors, including the extension of U.S.-China tariff talks, the correction of tariff structures on Japanese product by the U.S., and the weak yen. "Trading volumes are low because it is the Obon holiday in Japan now. This is a time when equity prices tend to fluctuate significantly both up and down. Volatility is likely to remain high for the time being." HIROYUKI UENO, CHIEF STRATEGIST AT SUMITOMO MITSUI TRUST ASSET MANAGEMENT, TOKYO "The Nikkei could cross the 43,000 level. Investors who did not expect this sharp rise are scooping up stocks in a hurry. "U.S. economy is better than the market had expected earlier this year. And if the Fed starts cutting rates, shares are only going to go up. The Japanese corporate outlook is also better than the market had expected." YUTAKA MIURA, SENIOR TECHNICAL ANALYST, MIZUHO SECURITIES, TOKYO "Investors are buying back Japanese shares following a strong performance for U.S. equities over the long weekend." "A break above 43,000 for the Nikkei would open the possibility of a move to between 43,500 and 44,000, but there is a strengthening sense that the market is overheated." MASAYUKI KUBOTA, STRATEGIST AT RAKUTEN SECURITIES, TOKYO "In this environment where the value of money is declining, global investors are buying assets like gold, bitcoin, and stocks. Within that context, Japanese shares are relatively undervalued, and Japanese companies are increasing their buybacks."


Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan McDonald's Happy Sets wasted in Pokemon card frenzy
Photo shows a notice at a McDonald's restaurant in Tokyo announcing the end of fast-food chain's campaign to give away Pokemon trading cards with its Happy Set combo meals, on Monday. McDonald's Co (Japan) has found that its campaign to give away Pokemon trading cards with its Happy Set combo meals prompted some customers to buy the meals in bulk solely to obtain the cards for resale, while discarding the food. The fast-food chain, which revealed the blunder on Monday in a press release, had limited purchases of the Happy Set -- known as the Happy Meal outside of Japan -- to five per person and implemented measures to prevent the reselling of the cards at higher prices ahead of the three-day promotion from Saturday. But the company admitted that its preparations were "insufficient" and issued an apology. The campaign ended on the first day as many outlets ran out of the cards. Before the launch, McDonald's had also asked Japanese online flea market operator Mercari Inc to help deal with listings of the trading cards, a highly sought-after collectible item. The fast-food chain said it will implement stricter measures in the future such as denying entry to people who attempt to buy large quantities of the combo meals. © KYODO


Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
British navy carrier group makes port call in Japan, 1st in 4 years
A British aircraft carrier strike group made a port call in eastern Japan on Tuesday, marking the first such visit in about four years in a show of deeper security cooperation between the two nations. The aircraft carrier Prince of Wales docked at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, while the destroyer Dauntless and the Norwegian frigate Roald Amundsen berthed at the near-by Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force base. The three ships from the Carrier Strike Group 25 are scheduled to stay in Japan until Sept. 2, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. It is the second such British naval visit, after Japan hosted an aircraft carrier strike group in 2021 led by the Queen Elizabeth. A welcoming event was held at the MSDF base, with British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom saying, "We are deeply grateful for your hospitality and shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific." Tomohiko Madono, head of the MSDF's Yokosuka District, said that he is convinced that Japan, Britain and Norway will deepen their bonds given their "quite similar security environments." The Prince of Wales will move to Tokyo on Aug. 28 and stay there until Sept. 2, while the Roald Amundsen will make a four-day stay in the capital from Aug. 19, the ministry said. Japan and Britain have been strengthening their defense collaboration in recent years, with a bilateral reciprocal access agreement that simplifies procedures for their forces to engage in joint exercises and disaster relief operations taking effect in 2023. The two U.S. allies have also been running a trilateral joint project with Italy to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2035. In a related move, the MSDF said Tuesday that British F-35B stealth fighter jets from the Prince of Wales, along with U.S. F-35Bs, landed on the Japanese carrier Kaga during multilateral drills in the western Pacific. Japan is modifying two helicopter carriers, including the Kaga, for future use as de facto aircraft carriers, adding heat-resistant deck coating and other upgrades. © KYODO