StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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31 StateWays ■ www.stateways.com ■ January/February 2016 CNS Imports offers fact sheets about this and their other baijiu brands, with branded goblets, a magazine and branded shopping bags. SHOCHU AND SOJU Shochu is a spirit produced in Japan, originating in the southern part of Kyushu Island. Probably brought to the island nation from China or Korea, shochu comes in two versions. The most common is made from corn, rice, rye, sweet potatoes or sugar in pot stills and is light and deli- cate, usually consumed straight or with ice, and sometimes infused with fruit. The other version is made from molas- ses in a continuous distillation process, distilled many times, yielding a mostly tasteless and mixable vodka-like spirit. Shochus can range from 20 to 45 per- cent alcohol. The many Japanese shochus are primarily food bever- ages, found in fi ne dining Japanese restaurants more often than retail. Soju, on the other hand, is the Ko- rean version of one of the world's most popular beverage alcohol products, originally a distilled type of saké. These days it's made from barley, rice, sweet potatoes or other starchy grains. Crisp and clean, soju is usually consumed straight or over ice, and like with the Japanese SELECTED LEADING BRANDS OF EXOTIC SPIRITS, 2012-2014 (9-Liter Cases) '13/'14 Brand Supplier Country of Origin Category 2012 2013 2014 % Change Monte Alban Gold Sazerac Mexico Mezcal 30 35 40 14.3% Leblon Cachaça Bacardi/Leblon Brazil Cachaça 31 33 34 3.0% Jinro Soju Jinro USA South Korean Shochu / Soju 22 23 24 4.3% Capel Shaw-Ross Int'l Importers Chile Pisco 16 16 17 6.3% Pisco Portón Pisco Portón, LLC Peru Pisco 8 12 13 8.3% Gusano Rojo Mezcal Frank-Lin Mexico Mezcal 5 7 9 28.6% Ypioca Anchor Distilling Brazil Cachaça 6 6 9 45.0% Pitu Winebow Brazil Cachaça 6 6 6 -8.3% Cachaça '51' Sazerac Brazil Cachaça 5 5 5 -10.0% Velho Barreiro Admiral Imports Brazil Cachaça 5 5 5 -10.0% Wild Shot Mezcal Shaw-Ross Int'l Importers Mexico Mezcal 3 4 4 0.0% Sagatiba Cachaca Campari America Brazil Cachaça 7 6 1 -83.3% Don Cesar Pisco Anchor Distilling Peru Pisco 1 1 1 -33.3% Total Leading Brands 145 159 166 4.4% version, the ABV ranges from 20 to 50. Soju, like shochu, has become popular in states like Cal- ifornia, where both a large ethnic market exists and where on-premise establishments can more easily obtain more easily licenses to serve beverages under a certain proof. Jinro is one of the world's largest spirit brands and the vol- ume leader in the U.S. POITIN PRIMER Poteen or poitín (pronounced "po-CHEEN") is a tra- ditional, un-aged Irish spirit made in small pot stills that provide its name. While many presume poitin to be a po- tato spirit, grains and sugar were as likely to be the source of distillation in the past when it was considered an illegal spirit, much like moonshine in the U.S. The poteen still was a wash of fermenting barley or po- tatoes in a small copper pot, heated by turf fi res; today it's produced in legitimate distilleries. Made for at least 400, and perhaps as long as 1400 years, non-commercially pro- duced poitín often hits very high alcohol content levels of up to 80 ABV. In 1661, a tax was levied on private use distillers, and in 1760 a further law made it illegal to operate a still without a licence, forcing poitin further underground. Today, it is protected by law, and in the U.S., brands include Bunratty, Knockeen Hills, Glory Irish and Glendalough. Mad March Hare will soon launch in selected markets. JACK ROBERTIELLO is the former editor of Cheers magazine and writes about beer, wine, spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications. More of his work can be found at www.jackrobertiello.com. The other version is made from molas- The other version is made from molas- ses in a continuous distillation process, distilled many times, yielding a mostly tasteless and mixable vodka-like spirit. Shochus can range from 20 to 45 per- cent alcohol. The many Japanese shochus are primarily food bever- ages, found in fi ne dining Japanese restaurants more often than retail. Soju, on the other hand, is the Ko- rean version of one of the world's most popular beverage alcohol products, originally a distilled type of saké. These days it's made from barley, rice, sweet and like with the Japanese IMPORTED SPIRITS