User:Kr-program/Amami Brown Sugar Shochu

Amami brown sugar shochu is made only on the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. It is a type of alcohol that has been handed down since the 20th century. Generally called "brown sugar shochu". Brown sugar shochu is made from rice malt and brown sugar made from sugarcane. Brown Sugar Shochu is a regional collective trademark of the Amami Oshima Sake Brewers Cooperative Association. Under the law, it classified as “Honkaku Syouchu” or “Syochu Otsurui”. And, most brown sugar shochu is clear and colorless. It is matured in oak wooden casks, which gives it an amber color. Moreover, some have an aroma of casks like Western wine. As of 2020, 23 shochu maker located on five islands in the Amami Islands are produced and marketed by 16 companies. Some brown sugar shochu is sold under its own brand name, made on brewing companies and the Imperial Household Agency. Brown sugar shochu adds flavors from brown sugar and rice koji during distillation, but not added sugars. Also, no sugar is added after distillation Therefore, the sugar content in brown sugar shochu is 0. Some other brands are sweetened by other ingredients other than sugar. Brown sugar is used from the Amami Islands as well as from Okinawa Prefecture. Therefore, there are differences in flavor due to differences in climate and production methods. Furthermore, the Amami Islands are the only place in Japan where shochu is allowed to be made using sugar-containing substances. Brown sugar shochu is distributed not only within the Amami Islands but also throughout Japan. In 2013, 60% of the brown sugar shochu was sold outside of Kagoshima Prefecture. Brown sugar shochu is very much less well known than other types of shochu. Therefore, only about 2% of restaurants in Japan serve brown sugar shochu. Comparing regions, prior to 1990, most exports were to the Kinki region,