Discover japan’s most widely enjoyed spirit.
Shochu is a versatile spirit. Lower in alcohol, clean in flavor, and easy to pair with almost anything. Whether you keep it simple or mix it into something new, the drink meets you where you are.
What it’s made from.
Shochu can be made from over fifty base ingredients. Each one produces a spirit with a different character. These are the most common.
Barley
(Mugi) 麦
Smooth, clean, and balanced. The style Oita is known for. Barley shochu is famously easy to drink. This is what Nikaido makes.
Sweet Potato
(Imo) 芋
Full-bodied and earthy. The most common style in Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Sweet potato shochu has more weight and character. Some styles can be intense for newcomers.
Rice
(Kome) 米
Covers a wide range. Can be delicate and floral or rich and layered. Includes Awamori from Okinawa and Kuma Shochu from Kumamoto.
Buckwheat
(Soba) そば
Light and dry. First produced in Miyazaki. A subtle, clean shochu with a mild character.
Black Sugar
(Kokuto) 黒糖
Made exclusively on the Amami Islands. Nowhere else is legally allowed to use sugar in Honkaku shochu production. A distinctive, slightly sweet style.
What makes it different.
Distilled once, not multiple times. That single distillation retains the aroma and character of whatever it’s made from.
Made using koji, a mold culture unique to Japanese food and drink. Koji is what gives shochu its depth. Without it, there would be no soy sauce, no miso, no sake, and no shochu.
Nothing added after distillation. No flavoring. No sugar. No additives.
Honkaku Shochu
Honkaku means “authentic” or “genuine.” It’s a category certified by the Japanese government with strict production standards.
Pot distilled. Flavor comes from real ingredients, not from anything added afterward. No additives beyond water.
Think of it like Neapolitan pizza. The name means something. When you see it on the label, you know what you’re getting.
This is the category Nikaido belongs to.
How to drink it.
There’s no single right way.
A highball with soda. Refreshing and easy. On the rocks. Simple and clean. With warm water. Softer and more aromatic.
It works before, during, or after a meal. The drink fits the moment.
