Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Collection 2019 in Roppongi

Nine different unions of shochu and awamori makers descend upon Roppongi Hills on October 18 and 19th to present Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Collection 2019.

The event brings together unions representing of Japan’s traditional distilled spirits, clustered in Kyushu and Okinawa:

• Fukuoka
• Nagasaki
• Kumamoto
• Oita
• Kagoshima
• Miyazaki
• Okinawa
• Tokyo Islands
• Tochigi

Altogether, there will be a some 400+ bottles of honkaku shochu and awamori available for sampling at the event. The lineup includes several limited editions, shochus/awamoris aged for 3+ years, and bottles not normally available in the Tokyo area. Being a festival, there will also be bottle sales and other ways to learn, such as seminars. Japan loves their regional promotions, so I’m guessing some Miss Shochus will also show up.

Shochu is one of the few spirits to go great with food. The unions aren’t holding back in this department — they will offer food from each region to pair with their local spirits. If you’ve never had karaage while drinking shochu, absolutely give it a try.

Sampling sessions will be split into three groups. Group 1 runs from 5PM to 8PM on October 18th, Group 2 from 10AM to 1PM on the 19th, and Group 3 from 2PM to 5PM on the same day.

Advance tickets are a mere 900 yen from the likes of eplus, with door tickets being 1000 yen. And that includes a free glass as well!

Honkaku shochu refers to single-distilled shochu that highlights the aromas and flavors of the ingredients used to make them. The more common ingredients are potato, barley, and rice. Barley, of course, is also used to make malt whisky. Last year we went into detail about the differences between barley shochu and malt whisky, so check it out!