Soju and Shochu: Cousins in Craft Distilling

Soju, the national drink of Korea, is the best-selling liquor in the world. Leading brand Jinro outpaces all other brands in all other categories, surpassing 100 million cases sold in 2022.

Shochu, meanwhile, is a staple of Japanese drinking culture. Often viewed as a close relative of soju—they’re both distilled grain- or starch-based spirits—shochu was once overshadowed by sake. But that was an earlier generation; shochu has outsold sake every year since 2003.

Almost inevitably—given the movement of tastes and ideas through immigration, travel, and the Internet and the curiosity of drinkers and bartenders always looking for something different—soju and shochu consumption are on the rise in the United States. Soju appears on Korean restaurant menus and is making its way onto others; shochu is becoming a mixologist’s staple for imparting cocktails with subtle, koji-driven umami notes.