The One & Only American Shochu

You never know what you are going to encounter at the farmers market. As vendors, management and even the legislature fret about over-saturation in local markets, the one thing that makes a market stand apart from the pack is having unique and innovative products. This week I learned how fortunate Central Farmers Market is to have The American Shochu Company as one of our vendors.Despite Maryland’s long history of distilled libations, historical references of the Japanese white liquor, shochu dates back at least five hundred years. While most Americans are familiar with sake, for Japanese, shochu is the spirit of choice. So how has no one until recently—about four years ago—produced an American shochu?I’m familiar with the rotation of Maryland distilleries who show up at Central Farm Markets, but last year I noticed that Taka Amano was showing up weekly with his product, the very first American shochu. Customers were paying attention, too, as I saw many carrying bottles exclaiming UMAI!“Hey, is that stuff good?” I asked one of my regulars.“Are you kidding? This is my third bottle. I love this stuff,” came the response and off I went to procure my own taste. Heading into winter, it was a chilly morning. After introducing himself, Taka meticulously poured a taste of warm liquid from a thermos for me.“It can also be mixed for cocktails,” he said as I sipped my sample. Sold. The bottle went into the collection to be handed out to friends and family during the holiday season. The recipient’s reaction said it all.Anyone who has ever traveled to Japan knows about shochu as it has become the most popular alcoholic beverage there, surpassing sake for the last 15 years when marketers began promoting it for use in cocktails. Being a neutral spirit like vodka, shochu is a versatile white whiskey made from sweet potatoes, rice or barley. UMAI! Is made using Certified Organic barley grown in the U.S.“There is nothing cooler than shochu, so someone had to introduce Americans to it,” said Taka who had split his time between Japan and the United States with a small business that bridged American and Japanese industries.That experience served as foundation when four years ago when Taka began producing premium shochu at his distillery in Frederick, Maryland. Unlike Japanese distillers who are loathe to waste product, The American Shochu Company wanted to produce a smooth, premium product leading them to cut the heads and tails which are the beginning and end of the distilling process. Compounds found in the heads and tails are responsible for those skull-crushing hangovers leaving UMAI! to get a reputation for being hangover-free. “My shochu is the cleanest in the world,” Taka expressed with great pride.It is also the top selling brand in Montgomery County liquor stores, a fete that Taka credits to his products’ exposure to the public at the farmers market. “Nowhere else could I get my product in front of such a large group of people as well as collect immediate feedback.”Recently, Taka returned from a trip to Japan—his first in three years—to share his American shochu with his friends and former colleagues. And the results? Same as the name of his flagship product—UMAI! {translation: yummy}Learn more about American shochu at their website or stop by Central Farm Markets for a taste and to visit with Taka.