Sake Vs Shochu; History of Alcoholic Beverage. One can also see a difference in the environment in which the two beverages are made. Korean soju is made from potatoes (and a whole lotta chemicals) and is in some ways closer to vodka; Japanese sake is made from rice. Flavor-wise, sake can range from dry to sweet, measured by the Sake Meter Value (SMV), a numerical scale ranging from -15 to +15, with dryness increasing with number. As a result, sojus vary in aroma and flavor. While Sake is brewed, Soju is distilled. Apple. While delicious to sip with a meal, sake is often used in marinades, sauces, soups, and other recipes to add delicate flavor depth and tenderize meats. As a result, sojus vary in aroma and flavor.Soju is most often drunk straight with food, like wine, but is also used in cocktails, like a spirit. Still, soju remains one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in Korea. What English speaking countries refer to as sake, is in fact termed nihonshu in Japanese. Shochu is similar to soju, but like sake, it originated in Japan. Culturally, soju is more a working man’s drink to be sloshed back in the park or bar, and sake feels to me to be a more elegant drink to be mulled over. Sake has more in common with beer than any other alcoholic beverage. But all those sips add up. Sake and Soju are both alcoholic beverages. Soju is often sweeter while sake is dry in comparison. According to a report published by Nicholas Harkness, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, soju is a colorless distilled beverage from Korea that can range in ABV from 16-50%. Image Courtesy: japanesestyle.com, gluttonguide101.blogspot.com. And how does soju play into things? Now let us take a look at how these three drinks are different from each other! From the main ingredient used, Soju can be made from various grains as well as starches while Sake is only made from rice. © 2014 - 2020 VinePair Inc. — Made In NYC, Next Round Live: What's Happening in the Drinks Industry Now, Every Beer Lover Needs This Hop Aroma Poster, though Americans are often taught or tempted, The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone, A Clear-Cut Guide to the Right Type of Ice for Every Cocktail, The 10 Best Champagnes for Every Occasion (2020), 10 Things You Should Know About Francis Ford Coppola Winery, The Differences Between Soju, Shochu, and Sake, Explained | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/articles/soju-shochu-sake-difference/, wbs_cat Beer, wbs_cat Spirit, wbs_cat Wine, wbs_type Sake, wbs_type Shochu, wbs_type Soju, explainer, sake, shochu, soju, A Clear-Cut Guide to the Right Type of Ice for Every Cocktail | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/articles/best-ice-for-cocktails-guide/, wbs_cat Spirit, bartender, cocktail, explainer, ice. Unlike many other beverages, shochu is made from one of several raw materials. Sake, also spelled as saké or saki, is often called rice wine. However, due to globalization, beer, wine, and other western spirits were introduced into Japan, especially after World War II. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright © 2020, Difference Between | Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons. Perhaps unsurprisingl Sake typically has a lower alcohol content than soju. Alcoholic beverages with an ABV below 25% are considered light alcoholic beverages, while beverages with an ABV above 25% are considered hard liquor. Have you ever wondered how the Japanese sake, Soju (Korean liquor), Shoku (Japanese liquor) is different? Soju is consumed cold and sake is often warmed. Sake is best served room temperature. There, it is seen more as a palate cleanser, best enjoyed between meals or on its own. You can learn more about sake styles here. In spite of that, they are quickly becoming household names worldwide. There is difference in the production of Soju and Sake. Most brands of soju are made in South Korea. True sake is made from rice, water, and kōji mold, i.e. Fresh! Sake vs Soju. To make premium sake, brewers polish it further, to varying degrees. One of the key differences between shochu and sake, and why shochu is logistically an easier product to sell, is aging. It can also be used as a substitute spirit in classic cocktails like the Martini or Negroni. Dry Vermouth. Even top sushi restaurants never mention anything like it in their menus so had assumed that sake was the equivalent of soju in terms of nationality. Nor is it Japanese vodka, or a distilled spirit of any kind. Soju with 20% is the most common. Sake and Soju are both alcoholic beverages. The similarity in appearance alone is enough to throw off most of the uninitiated. There are so many people wondering how SAKE (Sake) SOJU (SOUCH) Korean liquor and SHOCHU (CHOJU) Japanese liquor is different. Usually Sake is around 15% because most of the fungus stops activity and the alcohol level does not go any further, while Shochu can normally be 20%-25%, even as high as 42% (if multi-distilled). It’s no secret that Asian spirits are on the rise. Sake is an alcoholic beverage from Japan, whereas, soju is an alcoholic beverage from Korea. They are traditionally made from rice; however modern producers often use potatoes, wheat, barley, sweet potatoes, or tapioca instead of rice. Soju is a distilled South Korean beverage, while sake is a brewed Japanese rice beverage. As mentioned in the table above, Sake has an alcohol content of around 18-20% and tastes more like beer than wine. Sexy!!! Korea and Japan produce two other alcoholic beverages that are similar as well. Like beer, it’s made with steeped grain and is brewed and fermented with yeast. Soju is made with rice as well as ingredients like sweet potatoes and barley. Soju is often mistaken for Chinese baijiu, and/or Japanese shōchū. It's not sake.It's not soju.It's shochu, and while this Japanese spirit may be lesser known to some, shochu, which is typically brewed from grains or starches then distilled, is popping up on bar shelves in D.C., especially when it comes to cocktails.. Mostly, people confuse shochu with Korean soju, not only because they sound alike, but because soju is like the popular, older-brother to shochu. The more polished the rice, the cleaner and more elegant the flavor, ranging from rich and nutty, to light and fruity. Shochu is the most popular spirit in its homeland of Japan, and it’s reportedly making a splash stateside in Highball variations and posh umami cocktails. It is usually consumed neat, and its alcohol content varies from about 16.8% to 53% alcohol by volume (ABV). It has a neutral flavor, like vodka, but half the alcohol content — it typically hovers between 20 and 34 percent ABV, compared to vodka’s 40 percent ABV. According to Yukari Sakamoto, sommelier, certified shochu advisor, and author of “Food Sake Tokyo,” shochu flavor and quality can vary greatly. As such, a sweet potato shochu will taste very different from a rice shochu. Sake is made with rice, water and koji mould. Sake, also spelled as saké or saki, is often called rice wine. And how about shochu's? All rice grains are polished about 10 percent before they reach a sake brewery. Sake is a fermented rice wine from Japan and can range from 15-40% ABV. Sake is a drink which is made with the help of rice mostly while Soju is a drink which is made by mixing rice with other grains such as barley, wheat, and sweet potatoes. Like vodka, it is often drunk neat, and sometimes as a cocktail. This is mainly due to its ready availability and relatively low price. 1. The ABV of soju, on the other hand, ranges from 16.7%, to about 45%. We love this one, it's very smooth, and tastes and smells a lot like … 3. But they can also be made from buckwheat, sweet potatoes, or, in … The glasses are small, as are the bottles – usually 375ml – and soju is reasonably priced, compared with sake and other spirits. It can also be served cold or warm, though the latter is often reserved for cheaper, less refined sake. The alcohol content is a little less, with most shochus averaging around 25%-30%. Soju is a clear spirit that originated in Korea. Meanwhile, sake continues to gain popularity, with … In contrast, most Japanese shochus are single-distilled. Junmai means “pure,” and the alcohol content of these sakes comes solely from the fermentation of the rice. Consequently, shochu can be stored for long periods of time while sake has a limited shelf life. Soju is the world’s top-selling liquor by volume. In his book The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone, Jeff Cioletti breaks it down as follows: Sake brewed with rice polished to 70 percent its original size is generally referred to as either junmai or honjozo. It shares certain characteristics with soju, including a similarly low ABV (between 25 and 30 percent ABV on average) and pronunciation. Sake quality and cost are all about the level of polish, or the amount the rice grains have been milled before brewing. to 794 A.D. Pretty!! The production methods are similar and it is also distilled from a variety of grains such as soju, i.e. Soju is a drink similar to vodka. Sometimes, sake is compared to soju. Soju is the top-selling liquor by volume in the world, but it’s not legally considered a spirit everywhere. Aspergillus oryzae. The probable origin of sake was between 710A.D. Difference Between Soju and Sake: Conclusion. Does Soju taste like Sake? Soju always stands by you (with pretty girls). Shochu is also most often consumed on the rocks, mixed with cold or hot water, or with fresh juice, which lowers the alcohol content even further to about 12 to 15 percent ABV, similar to a glass of wine. Post-WWII modern Korean soju, like those served in today’s Korean restaurants and karaoke bars, is multi-distilled. content so is closer to sochu than sake that way. The brewing process differs for sake in the manner that the conversion from starch to sugar and in turn from sugar to alcohol occurs simultaneously. Soju should not be confused with two other types of rice-based spirits, sake and shochu. In Japan, sake is a generalized term referring to any and all alcoholic beverages. Meanwhile, the alcohol content of Soju is higher, about 20-40%. Cozy!!! Multi-Distilled vs. Single-Distilled One of the biggest differences between shochu and soju today is in the production method. Take your soju time. What’s the difference between sake and shochu? Here’s a breakdown of all the differences among sake, soju, and shochu. For many people, alcohol is a part of their daily life, it is a lifestyle, a beverage, and a tool to socialize while also can be categorized as a tranquilizer for some. Undiluted sake contains 18%–20% alcohol by volume (ABV), higher than the ABV of wine (9%–16%) or beer (3%–9%). Ginjo refers to sake whose rice grains are polished to 60 percent or less; and daiginjo, to 50 percent or less. Even though, sake is called rice wine, the actual process of producing sake is similar to beer. Sake vs Soju. Sake is an alcoholic beverage from Japan, whereas, soju is an alcoholic beverage from Korea. Soju and shochu are both made from a base of fermented ingredients, often grain, such as rice or barley. To the newbie, soju and sake may seem somewhat challenging to tell apart, particularly since both soju and sake are clear alcoholic beverages that contain the same ABV; at approximately 14-24%. Hence, a number of breweries have popped up in China, Southeast Asia, South America, North America, and Australia. However, it is often considered to have a taste sweeter than vodka due to the sugars added in the manufacturing process. rice, sweet potato etc. Shochu originated in Japan at least 500 years ago. Soju is a type of distilled beverage which originated in Korea. In Japan, sake is a generalized term referring to any and all alcoholic beverages. Sake is an alcoholic beverage from Japan, whereas, soju is an alcoholic beverage from Korea. Sake is a brewed alcohol while Shochu is distilled liquor, which also leads to the difference in alcohol contents. It has a neutral flavor, like vodka, but half the alcohol content — it t… Brewing sake calls for relatively lower temperatures, but shochu can be distilled in these warmer regions. Shochu is the most popular spirit in its homeland of Japan, and it’s reportedly making a splash stateside in Highball variations and posh umami cocktails. The probable origin of sake was between … Shochu vs. soju In addition to the rise of izakayas in the Bay Area, Lim believes that the marketing of shochu's Korean equivalent, soju, has helped shochu become better known. Sake is brewed, not distilled (and by the way, it should not be called a “rice wine” either; wine requires grapes or at the very least fermented fruit juice). It was traditionally made with rice but, ever since distilling rice was banned during the Korean War, distillers have used other grains and starches, such as wheat, sweet potatoes, and even tapioca. Starting off our top 3 now! Soju and sake have a slightly higher calorie count, clocking in at about 65 and 80 calories respectively per 1.5-ounce serving. For some consumers, however, questions cloud these categories. Sake, like beer, is produced by means of a brewing process in which the sugar needed to produce alcohol must first be converted from starch. Difference Between | Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons, Counterintelligence Investigation vs Criminal Investigation, Microsoft Surface RT vs Dell XPS 10 Tablet. It is well known that the Japanese culture of drinking is usually. Also, the higher alcohol content and drier feel is more appealing to many in milder climates. Finally, though Americans are often taught or tempted to pair their sake with sushi — or, shudder, as part of a sake bomb — neither practice is common in Japan. Soju (/ ˈ s oʊ dʒ uː /; from Korean: 소주; 燒酒) is a clear, colorless distilled alcoholic beverage of Korean origin. Aside from their different countries of origin and alcohol contents, these two clear beverages also feature key contrasts in their production processes, flavors, and serving suggestions. From the origin, both alcoholic beverages comes from different places, Soju from Korea while Sake comes from Japan. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Soju is most often drunk straight with food, like wine, but is also used in cocktails, like a spirit. First, most soju ads are like this. Meanwhile, sake continues to gain popularity, with U.S. sales increasing annually since the 1990s. In the 1960s beer consumption surpassed sake and the production of sake has been declining since the mid 1970s. Beer, whiskey, and wine have gained popularity in recent years mainly due to westernization of culture. It was traditionally made with rice but, ever since distilling rice was banned during the Korean War, distillers have used other grains and starches, such as wheat, sweet potatoes, and even tapioca. While Soju has a better production in warm climates, Sake has a better production in cool climates. I wanna drink with her so bad. Soju is a clear spirit from Korea and is consistently one of, if not the most-consumed alcohol by volume year after year worldwide, although it’s dwarfed in popularity by Japanese sake and sochu. Soju vs Sake Japan has a similar spirit to soju called shochu. In sake’s case, it is then fermented a second time with koji mold. Sake is a traditional Japanese beverage made from fermented rice. Sake is low-proof alcohol made from rice (often referred to as rice wine, although it's brewed like beer rather than fermented like sake), with alcohol content roughly between 15-19%. Once, sake was the dominant alcoholic beverage in Japan. ByAdmin August 24, 2017 No Comments. Maybe I'll start a new column "Soju Stop", starting next time. Shochu vs. Soju! Soju tastes pretty much like diluted Vodka, while Sake’s flavors vary from sweetness, umami, saltiness, sourness to bitterness. When comparing sake with soju, most Americans are far more familiar with the former, a frequent sushi companion. Soju doesn't cheat you. Nonetheless, I also thought this article a bit biased because … From the alcoholic content, some Soju may have higher alcohol content than Sake. What English speaking countries refer to as sake, is in fact termed nihonshu in Japanese. Although both drinks have some similarities, they have many apparent disparities. Soju is clear and colorless and is widely consumed in Korea, mainly due to its low price. Top-quality shochu, called honkaku shochu, is single-distilled, allowing it to retain the flavors of its base ingredient. In New York and California, for example, soju no more than 24 percent alcohol by volume can be sold under a beer and wine license, which is cheaper and easier for restaurants to acquire than a liquor license. However, the ABV of sake is often reduced to 15% by diluting it with water prior to bottling. You’ll often see these numbers on sake menus or on sake bottle labels. This wine is often … The biggest difference is how the two are made: Sake is fermented and brewed like beer and soju is distilled like vodka. It is traditionally made from wheat, barley or rice. In conclusion, we have to point out that there is no sake vs soju discussion that does not point to their countries of origin. Soju is a clear spirit that originated in Korea. OK, let's compare soju vs. shochu ads. Let’s get this out of the way: Sake is not rice wine. 2. In 2007, the number of breweries in Japan amounted to 1,845, down from 3,229 breweries in fiscal 1975. Sake vs Soju: Which have higher alcohol content? If alcohol is added to boost ABV, that’s honjozo sake. Dry vermouth is another fortified wine that is originally from Spain. In 2004, it is estimated that more than 3 billion bottles of soju were consumed in South Korea. Still, there has been an increased interest in sake, especially from the western countries. It boasts a slightly sweet flavor and a higher alcohol content than most wines (ABV 15% to 20%). It was commonly used for religious ceremonies, court festivals, and drinking games. Once again, while the former comes from South Korea, the latter comes from Japan. Soju is the world’s top-selling liquor by volume. Posted on July 24, 2013 by yasuyasuyasu731 Standard (The first photo is of Sake , The second photo is of Soju) Sake and Soju are both alcoholic beverages. Sake is meant to be enjoyed within a year of its release, while shochu is often aged in steel tanks or oak barrels to improve its flavor. Shochu is also most commonly made from sweet potato (imo-jochu), barley (mugi-jochu), or rice (kome-jochu). It is usually clear and still; but unfiltered sake is milky white, and some sakes are carbonated. 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