To all of our listeners: thank you for your patience.

As much as we go out of our way to include awamori as part of the broader shochu conversation, despite many months of listener requests, we have yet to do an entire episode dedicated to Okinawa’s incredible indigenous spirit.

Until now!

The progenitor of the entire shochu category, the now geographically indicated Ryukyu Awamori has been deeply tied to the lifestyle and culture of the Okinawan people for at least the past 600 years. With only 46 distilleries still officially producing this incredible spirit, awamori is poised to either take over the world with its unmatched depth and character, or gradually get folded into the world of shochu.

This week Little Chris, aka Shochu Pro, aka Christopher Pellegrini is joined by Sebastien Lemoine and Justin Potts to go over the basics. What is it? Where did it come from? How is it made? How does it differ from products in the broader “shochu” category?

We think awamori is in a position to transform both the demand for, and dialogue, around Japanese spirits. After this week’s episode, we hope you’ll think so too.

Let us know what you think of the show by reviewing and rating us on Apple Podcasts. You can send your questions and comments about this or any of our shows to [email protected], or to @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Don’t forget us on YouTube!

April is shaping up to be a month of excitement, challenges and experimentation. We hope you’ll continue to join us for the ride.

Until then, Kampai!

Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the . The show is a co-production between  and  with audio production by .Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by for Sake On Air.