Cultivating a New Shochu Market
Shochu, Japan's traditional distilled spirits, has attracted a wide range of regular customers due to the health benefits associated with it, the enjoyment people take in mixing it with other beverages and the variety of shochu flavors available, depending on the basic ingredients.
Suntory offers an extensive product lineup in all four shochu categories, ko-otsu blended shochu, otsu-rui shochu (pot-still distilled), domestic ko-rui shochu and Korean shochu (both of which are continuously distilled). We have configured our business to introduce customers to the profound attractions of shochu, and to win new converts to the ranks of shochu aficionados.
Ko-otsu Blended Shochu
- Hanauta (Barley/Sweet Potato) ,Barley Shochu Wanko and Sweet Potato Shochu Nanko
Our selection of blended shochu products to suit various occasions includes Hanauta (Barley/Sweet Potato) for an evening drink at home and Barley Shochu Wanko and Sweet Potato Shochu Nanko to accompany restaurant banquets. We are raising awareness of the attractions of blended shochu, which is flavorful, highly palatable and consistently pleasing.
Otsu-rui Shochu
- Ichi no Kuni, Kagura no Mai, Hana, Kuromaru, Tenryugura, Churajima
Complementing these are the distinctive shochu brands we have developed through tie-ups with shochu distilleries in Kyushu and Okinawa, whose roots are firmly planted in their regional histories and cultures. We have established partnerships with six distilleries and plan to implement an active program of promoting the enjoyment of genuine shochu among customers.
- Suntory will communicate the enjoyment of selecting genuine shochu products developed jointly through tie-ups with six distilleries.
- Nagasaki / Iki no Hana (Ichi no Kuni, barley shochu)
- Kumamoto/Fukuda Shuzou Shoten (Hana, rice shochu)
- Okinawa / Shinzato Shuzou (Churajima, awamori, traditional rice shochu)
- Miyazaki / Kagura Shuzou (Kagura no Mai, buckwheat shochu)
- Kagoshima / Hamada Shuzou (Kuromaru, sweet potato shochu)
- Okinawa / Mizuho Shuzou (Tenryugura, aged awamori, traditional rice shochu)
- Kyogetsu GREEN
Korean Shochu
Since 1996, Suntory has maintained a tie-up with Doosan in Kangnung, South Korea, a district endowed with an abundant natural environment and excellent water. We market this distillery's Kyogetsu GREEN, a superior South Korean shochu of unwavering quality made with pure natural water from the Sorakusan water system. Well-suited to Japanese tastes, its refreshing flavor has earned it such widespread popularity among our customers that it became the market leader among Korean shochu brands in Japan in 2007.
Domestic Ko-rui Shochu
We are promoting ways of drinking domestic ko-rui shochu by communicating with customers about its qualities as a base for mixed drinks, centered on our Daijuhyo brand. Grandays, a 100% mature shochu that recalls the passage of years with its mellow flavor special to aged shochu, is expanding the world of ko-rui shochu.
