Authentic Shochu Comes From Maryland, U.S.A.
Japan Eats!22 Nov 2021

Authentic Shochu Comes From Maryland, U.S.A.

Our guest is Takatsugu 'Taka' Amano who is the co-Founder and CEO of American Shochu Company based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Shochu is a traditional Japanese spirit and it is more popular than Japanese sake in Japan. If you compare sake and shochu, 4.2% of liquor tax comes from premium sake, whereas 14.8% comes from shochu, according to the Japanese government’s data in 2019. But the number flips when it comes to overseas. In 2020, Japan exported about $212 million worth of premium sake but only $10.6 million of shochu was brought outside the country, which was just 5% of sake’s export.

It is a shame because shochu is as delicious and artisanal as premium sake. That is why Taka decided to introduce the charm of shochu to America by producing his own brand in 2015. He makes 100% barley shochu with his wife Lynn Amano in Maryland and they have already won the 2020 American Craft Spirits Awards.

In this episode, we will discuss why the successful biotech industry executive decided to produce the traditional Japanese spirit in America, how he studied shochu production techniques, how he produces his award-winning shochu with American ingredients in the climate of Maryland, why we should drink more shochu and much, much more!!!

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Japan Eats by becoming a member!

Japan Eats is Powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(390)

Food Is The Foundation Of Our Mindfulness: Zen Monk Masaki Matsubara

Food Is The Foundation Of Our Mindfulness: Zen Monk Masaki Matsubara

Our guest is Reverend Dr. Masaki Matsubara, who is an eighteenth-generation Zen priest in the Japanese Rinzai tradition. His career is unique and impressive. Following his Zen monastic training in Hei...

20 Feb 49min

Crafting Shogun-Selected Barrel Aged Soy Sauce For Over 330 Years

Crafting Shogun-Selected Barrel Aged Soy Sauce For Over 330 Years

Our guest is Hideatsu Shibanuma who is the 18th-generation president of Shibanuma Soy Sauce, which was founded in 1688. Shibanuma Soy Sauce has specialized in producing barrel-aged soy sauce in Ibarak...

15 Jan 40min

Discovering Real Japan: The Oldest Izakaya, Fermentation Lab And Singing With Japanese Bluegrass Musicians

Discovering Real Japan: The Oldest Izakaya, Fermentation Lab And Singing With Japanese Bluegrass Musicians

Our guest is George Padilla who plays a key role in multiple exciting Japanese restaurant and hospitality businesses in New York, including Rule of Thirds (https://www.thirdsbk.com/), Bin Bin Sake (ht...

19 Dec 202557min

Konbini Culture: Unwrapping Japan’s Unique Convenience Stores

Konbini Culture: Unwrapping Japan’s Unique Convenience Stores

Our guest is Gavin Whitelaw https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/gavin-h-whitelaw who is the Executive Director of Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. Gavin has spent ove...

4 Dec 202556min

Discover America’s Largest Japanese Whisky Collection at Teruko

Discover America’s Largest Japanese Whisky Collection at Teruko

Our guest is Brian Evans who is the Director of Bars at Sunday Hospitality Group https://www.sundayhg.com/, which operates 12 popular hospitality concepts in New York and London, including Japanese-in...

27 Nov 202553min

Chef Tadashi Ono: Serving The Essence of Japanese Cuisine For Three Decades

Chef Tadashi Ono: Serving The Essence of Japanese Cuisine For Three Decades

Our guest is Tadashi Ono who is the executive chef at Teruko https://hotelchelsea.com/dining-and-bar/teruko at The Hotel Chelsea in New York. Tadashi's career has been built through deliberate decisi...

20 Nov 202537min

 An American Winemaker's 35-Year Journey Helping To Shape Japanese Wine Culture

An American Winemaker's 35-Year Journey Helping To Shape Japanese Wine Culture

Our guest is Bruce Gutlove, who is an American-born winemaker based in Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese wine industry has been flourishing, particularly in the last two decades or so, thanks to the rapid...

13 Nov 20251h 9min

What Makes a Michelin Star Sushi Restaurant?

What Makes a Michelin Star Sushi Restaurant?

Our guest is Cheng Lin who is the chef/owner of Shota Omakase https://shotaomakase.com/ in Brooklyn, New York. After nearly three decades of studying and serving sushi at notable restaurants in New Y...

6 Nov 202535min

Populärt inom Utbildning

historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
det-skaver
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-viktmedicinpodden
roda-vita-rosen
johannes-hansen-podcast
allt-du-velat-veta
sektledare
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
not-fanny-anymore
rss-beratta-alltid-det-har
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
alska-oss
sa-in-i-sjalen
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
rss-basta-livet
polisutbildningspodden