This annual event is sponsored by the JSS and includes a shochu/awamori seminar, blind tasting contest, and free-for-all tasting. Register here. 7-9 PM … [Read more...]
Shochu in the Japan Times
Prolific food and drink writer, Melinda Joe, enjoyed a shochu tour on the tatami-mat floor of Shochu Zanmai in Ikebukuro. Local shochu savant, Christopher Pellegrini, was there to rummage through the crates and rustle up some gems. It all played out beautifully in the pages of yesterday's Japan Times: Distilling the Mysteries of Shochu Hopefully they do a follow-up … [Read more...]
Shochu Renaissance in Shibuya
Shidax Hall in Shibuya played host once again to one of the biggest annual honkaku shochu events held in Tokyo, Shochu Renaissance. This year's event, the 18th iteration in its history, showcased products from nearly three dozen shochu and awamori distilleries on the afternoon of April 10th. And the makers were eager to show off the versatility of the drinks they brought … [Read more...]
The Shochu Handbook
After three years of research, Christopher Pellegrini's "The Shochu Handbook - An Introduction to Japan's Indigenous Distilled Drink" is now entering distribution channels worldwide. Available in eBook and paperback (196 pages) versions, this reference helps fill the large chasm of English-language information regarding Japan's shochu and awamori traditions. Indeed, … [Read more...]
Support “The Shochu Handbook” Publication
As first reported by Japan Eats, a Kickstarter campaign to help publish Christopher Pellegrini's upcoming "The Shochu Handbook" recently went live. The book itself is currently being edited and proofread, and the campaign is designed to collect enough "finishing funds" to get the book out into the public this spring. This book is going to help smooth shochu's transition … [Read more...]