American Shochu Company

(301) 351-3983
Order Now for Home Shipping!
  • Home
  • What’s Shochu
    • What’s Shochu
    • Our Spirits
    • Where to Buy
  • Our Story
  • Blog
    • Events
    • Podcasts
    • Media Coverage
    • Recipes
    • News
    • Past Events
  • Contact Us

What’s Shochu?

​

​

​

​

 Shochu (“show-chew”) is like an ultra smooth white whisky, softer and lighter. In Japan, it’s been more popular than sake the last 15 years! Ours is made right here in the U.S.: a New American Spirit!

Learn More!

Here’s a great article by NY Times Bestselling author Larry Olmsted about shochu:

Read More

 

What’s Shochu Like?

Shochu mixes well with everything. There are endless possibilities. Shochu and …fruit sodas …oolong or green tea ….juices …even beer! It makes for new, light cocktails, just the way you’d like. Experiment! We think you’ll love it! Then again, shochu connoisseurs also enjoy premium shochu straight or on ice. In Japan, shochu cocktails are called Chuhai (“chew-high”), shoCHU-HIghballs

Make A Drink!

In Japan, shochu cocktails are called Chuhai ("chew-high"). Here's a fun article on Chuhai from The Drink Blog (they have great recipes for all sorts of cocktails):

Read More

 

Why American Shochu Company?

Well, first of all, we’re the *only* shochu distillery in North America!

We make our shochu right here in Frederick, Maryland, where there is a lively growing community of craft distilleries, breweries and wineries. And we’re pioneering a totally new distilled spirit in America! Our shochu has been taste-tested by the Chairman and execs of the Brewing Society of Japan. Their comment was, “Amano-san, you have shochu. Please sell it in America, where it’s not well known!”

Is Shochu like Sake?

Shochu is a distilled spirit, more like whisky or vodka. Sake is fermented, or brewed, more like beer.

Shochu is bottled typically at 24–25% alcohol by volume, although it can be higher or lower (we have a 40% line in the works). It can be mixed (making a drink that is around 5–10%) or taken straight or on the rocks.

Sake is typically 15–16% ABV (Japanese law says less than 22%), and is almost always taken straight.

Is Shochu like Vodka?

Shochu is often compared to vodka, and the two are similar in both being distilled and typically clear, white spirits.

The big differences are (1) vodka is always mutiple distilled, and/or filtered, to get the definitional “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color”. Honkaku Shochu, or Genuine Shochu like our Umai! Shochu is single distilled much like a whisky, and we also don’t filter, so we retain the character of the grain; and (2) vodka, like all western spirits, uses malted barley to sugarize the starches. Making shochu involves koji, or Aspergillus luchuensis. Koji is also used in making miso, soy sauce, and sake, but those actually use different species of Aspergillus. With shochu, we use A. luchuensis.

Fun Fact:

The USDA first entered Aspergillus awamori, Aspergillus luchuensis, and Aspergillus luchuensis mut. kawachi into their database (that would be all the shochu Aspergilluses, folks) when Taka registered to import A. luchuensis!

 

   

Our Spirits 

The spirits we have available currently are:

• UMAI! Organic Barley Shochu 24% 375ml

 • UMAI! Organic Barley Shochu 24% 50ml

• UMAI! Organic Barley Shochu 24% 750ml

• Roy’s Demon Organic Barley Shochu 40% 750ml

• Roy’s Demon First Edition Private Reserve  40% 750ml

 

UMAI! is Our Flagship Shochu

The most common reaction we get is, “that’s smooth!” Enjoy it straight, on the rocks, or with your favorite mixer. Bottled at 24% Alcohol/Volume, 375ml and now available in 750ml!

UMAI! Organic Barley Shochu

Spirits distilled from organic barley:

Ingredients: R.O. (Reverse Osmosis) Water, Organic Barley, Yeast and Koji.

Distilled and Bottled at American Shochu Company in Frederick, Maryland.

Roy’s Demon is Our Whiskey-Lover’s Shochu! 

Still made from 100% Organic Barley, still a shochu, not a whiskey—not aged in oak—but still super smooth! 

How to Get Shochu:

Click to ORDER NOW!
Free Home Shipping
in Maryland and Washington, DC
(Powered by Biermi)

Weekly shipping deliveries on Thursdays for orders
received by 7pm on the previous Tuesday

 

Order Online from Liquor Express

We’re being carried at Modern Liquors in Washington, DC,
and they have an online shop, Liquor Express,
that delivers nationwide!
202-289-1414
www.liquorexpress.us
 
Download their Liquor Express App:
-Android: https://goo.gl/xM76SV
-Apple: https://goo.gl/2oV9vH  

 

Our Liquor Stores:

All 26 Montgomery County Liquor & Wine locations
are open for business and carrying our products.
UMAI! Shochu was the top selling Maryland Made brand
in the MoCo Liquor stores in 2019!

https://montgomerycountymd.gov/dlc/stores/

Other Liquor Stores in Maryland and DC:

Riverside Liquors:
1299 Riverbend Way # A, Frederick, Maryland

301-624-1742
Find Us!

Orion Wine & Spirits:
8927 Fingerboard Road, Frederick, Maryland

301-810-5328
iloveorion.com
Find Us!

Wine World Beer & Spirits:
406 Constant Friendship Blvd, Abingdon, Maryland
410-569-8646
mywineworld.com
Find Us!

Wine Districts:
5213 Presidents Ct, Frederick, Maryland
301-898-2350
Find Us!

Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro:
11011 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, Maryland
301-937-5999
Find Us!

Ye Old Spirits Shop:
1005 W 7th St, Frederick, Maryland
301-662-4803
yeoldspiritshop.com
Find Us!

 Petite Cellars:
11079 Resort Road, Ellicott City, Maryland
410-750-0562
petitecellars.com
Find Us!

Modern Liquors:
1200 9th St NW, Washington, DC
202-289-1414
liquor.express
Find Us!

Schneider’s of Capitol Hill:
300 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC
202-543-9300
cellar.com
Find Us! 

 Total Wine & More:
3335 Corridor Marketplace, Laurel, Maryland
301-617-8507
totalwine.com
Find Us!

​Angels Share Wines and Liquors:
1748 7th St NW, Washington, DC
202-558-9575
Find Us!

​New Market Liquors:
11670 Old National Pike #205, New Market, Maryland
301-882-4913
Find Us!

​Liquor Pump:
8535 Old Harford Rd # 1, Parkville, Maryland
410-668-1820
liquorpump.com
Find Us!

​1 West Dupont Circle Wines and Liquors:
2012 P St NW, Washington, DC
202-293-9463
pstreetwines.com
Find Us!

​Dutch Liquors Inc:
2325 Cleanleigh Dr, Parkville, Maryland
410-665-0500
Find Us!
 

Fishpaw’s Market Place:
954 Ritchie Hwy,
Arnold, Maryland
410-647-7363
Find Us!

​

​

International Beverage:
21367 Great Mills Rd,
Lexington Park, Maryland
301-862-9000
Find Us!
 

​

 

Our Restaurants:

​VOLT:
228 North Market Street,
Frederick, Maryland
301-696-8658
www.voltrestaurant.com
Find Us!

 

Brewer’s Alley:
124 N. Market Street, Frederick, Maryland
301-631-0089
brewers-alley.com
Find Us!

Cafe NOLA:
4 E. Patrick Street, Frederick, Maryland
301-694-6652
www.cafe-nola.com
Find Us!

Roasthouse Pub:
5700 Urbana Pike, Frederick, Maryland
301-418-6098

roasthousepub.com
Find Us!

​ 

Firestone’s Culinary Tavern:
105 North Market Street,
Frederick, Maryland
301-663-0330
firestonesrestaurant.com
Find Us!

Jojo’s Restaurant & Tap House:
16 E. Patrick Street, Frederick, Maryland
301-732-5197
jojosrestauranttaphouse.com
Find Us!

Daikaya -Ramen -Izakaya:
705 6th St NW, Washington, DC
202-589-1600
www.daikaya.com
Find Us!

The Tasting Room:
101 N. Market St., Frederick, Maryland
240-379-7772
www.trrestaurant.com
Find Us!

Jinya Ramen Bar:
910 Prose Street, North Bethesda, Maryland
301-816-3029
jinya-ramenbar.com
Find Us!

​Surf House Island Cantina:
8925 Fingerboard Rd, Frederick Maryland
240-341-7157
surfhouse.restaurant
Find Us!

Tako Grill:
4914 Hampden Ln, Bethesda, Maryland
301-652-7030
www.takogrill.com
Find Us!

Sushi Taro:
1503 17th St NW, Washington, DC
202-462-8999
 sushitaro.com

Find Us!

  

Come Visit Our Frederick Maryland Distillery Location!

Schedule a Distillery Tour!

Copyright © 2021 · American Shochu Company · 4539 Metropolitan Ct
Frederick, MD 21704 · Powered by ThriveHive