The Japan Saké and Shochu Makers Association (JSS) has released the August numbers for shochu shipments.
Manufacturers shipped 15,379 kl of single-distilled potato (imo) shochu, 13,216 kl of barley (mugi), 3,338 kl of rice (kome), 636 kl of buckwheat (soba), and 44 kl of saké lees (kasutori) shochu. Additionally, 880 kl of “other” single-distilled shochu changed hands. This category includes all of the small, regional varieties of shochu that are often sold as souvenirs, but it also claims relatively popular types like chestnut (kuri), sesame (goma), and tomato shochu within its ranks.
Miyazaki Prefecture won the monthly shipping wars in Kyushu with 9,998 kl of product making its way to wholesale and retail outlets. Kagoshima was second at 9,034 kl, and Oita (6,342 kl), Fukuoka (3,033 kl), Okinawa (1,801 kl), and Kumamoto (1,148 kl) Prefectures filled out the rest of the top six.
Multiple-distilled shochu (korui) experienced a precipitous drop in sales in August. The 26,642 kl of product sold represented a 8.1% drop from a year earlier.
Single-distilled potato shochu, on the other hand, was up 1.3% year-over-year.
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