February 23-24, 2026

Shochu speaks through water, grain, and time. This moment happens only once.

Enjoy a guided tasting with rare pours from 10 Japanese distillers, & insight into traditional & modern Shochu service.

Event Highlights

Shochu Rising is an immersive tasting and education experience dedicated to Japan’s most distinctive distilled spirit. Bringing together more than 10 honkaku shochu distillers visiting from Japan, the event offers a rare opportunity to taste broadly while engaging directly with the producers themselves.

Guests will explore 35+ shochu expressions, including limited and hard-to-find bottlings, with guided context around traditional production, service styles, as well as seminars from some of the best shochu and beverage experts across the world.

Seminar & Tasting for Hospitality Industry Professionals

Born in southern Japan more than 500 years ago, shochu is shaped by climate, agriculture, and time. Single-distilled, lower in alcohol, and naturally food-friendly, it is designed for balance—at the table and behind the bar.

A seminar will be led by Ryushin Komatsuyama, shochu expert and owner of Kokushu Matsu, Miyazaki, Japan and will explore how shochu is prepared, served, and understood in Japan, with an emphasis on technique and intention.

What to expect:

Guided tasting of 35+ shochu expressions, including rare and limited bottlings
The opportunity to taste directly with 10+ shochu distillers visiting from Japan
Demonstrations of oyuwari (hot-water mixing) and how it opens aroma and depth
Maewari (pre-dilution) and the quiet harmony it creates
How temperature, timing, and preparation shape flavor