Sake vs shochu: what's the difference?
Sake and shochu differ in how they are made: sake is brewed from rice and rice koji, fermented and then pressed, while shochu is fermented from sweet potato, barley, rice and more and then distilled. On KIKI the median strength is 15.3 % for sake and 25 % for shochu, and the median price per 720 ml is ¥1,590 and ¥1,173 (10 Oct 2026).
| Sake | Shochu | |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Rice, rice koji, water (some add brewer's alcohol) | Sweet potato, barley, rice, brown sugar, buckwheat and more, plus koji and water |
| How it's made | Brewed (fermented, then pressed) | Distilled (fermented, then distilled) |
| Legal strength limit | Under 22 % | 45 % or less for single-distilled shochu (under 36 % for continuous-distilled) |
| How it's drunk | Chilled, at room temperature or warm | On the rocks, with water, with hot water or with soda |
| Alcohol (median) | 15.3 % | 25 % |
| Bottles with a price (KIKI) | 6,425 | 1,720 |
| Median price per 720 ml | ¥1,590 | ¥1,173 |
Prices and counts: KIKI data as of 10 Oct 2026; how we work them out is on how we rate.
What is the difference between sake and shochu?
The main difference is how they are made: sake is a brewed drink, fermented and then pressed, and shochu is a distilled spirit, fermented and then distilled. Japan’s Liquor Tax Act files them under different groups too: sake (清酒, seishu) among the brewed liquors and shochu among the distilled liquors.
The legal definitions are:
- Seishu (sake): rice, rice koji and water, fermented and strained, under 22 % alcohol
- Single-distilled shochu (単式蒸留焼酎): grains or sweet potatoes, their koji and water, fermented and distilled in a pot still, 45 % or less
- Continuous-distilled shochu (連続式蒸留焼酎): distilled in a column still, under 36 %
Single-distilled shochu is also called honkaku (“authentic”) shochu and keeps the aroma and flavour of its ingredients. The shochu on KIKI is honkaku shochu and awamori. The difference between korui and otsurui shochu is explained in Types of shochu and awamori.
What are they made from?
Sake is made from rice, rice koji and water. Junmai sake uses rice and koji alone, while grades such as honjozo and daiginjo also add brewer’s alcohol.
Shochu ferments a main ingredient, such as a grain, sweet potato or brown sugar, with koji and water. The main ingredient gives it its name: sweet potato makes imo shochu, barley mugi shochu, rice kome shochu, brown sugar (with rice koji) kokuto shochu and buckwheat soba shochu.
Both rely on koji, but shochu can also be made from sweet potato, brown sugar and other ingredients besides rice. The styles are compared in Types of shochu and awamori.
How are they made differently?
Sake is fermented and then pressed (strained). Its special feature is that two steps run at the same time: koji turns the rice starch into sugar while yeast turns the sugar into alcohol. This is called multiple parallel fermentation. The whole process is in How sake is made.
Shochu starts with a fermented mash too, but the mash is then heated in a still and the alcohol and aroma that rise from it are collected. The pot still used for honkaku shochu is simple in design, so more of the ingredient’s aroma and flavour comes through: sweet potato shochu tastes of sweet potato, barley shochu of barley. The steps are in How honkaku shochu is made.
How much stronger is shochu?
On KIKI the median strength is 15.3 % for sake and 25 % for shochu (10 Oct 2026). The legal limits are under 22 % for sake, 45 % or less for honkaku (single-distilled) shochu and under 36 % for korui (continuous-distilled) shochu.
Shochu is often drunk mixed with water or hot water, which brings the strength down.
How do they taste and how are they drunk?
Sake is about the sweetness, umami and acidity of rice, and it can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or warmed (kan). The temperatures and their names are in Temperature and how to drink.
Shochu shows the aroma of its main ingredient clearly and is classically drunk on the rocks, with water, with hot water or with soda. A 25 % shochu mixed six parts shochu to four parts water comes to about 15 %, roughly the strength of sake. Ratios are in How to mix shochu.
Which costs more?
On KIKI’s price data, sake costs more per 720 ml. As of 10 Oct 2026 the median is ¥1,590 for sake (6,425 bottles with a price) and ¥1,173 for shochu (1,720 bottles), a gap of ¥417.
This compares the same volume (720 ml) and leaves strength out. Shochu is often mixed before drinking, so the price per glass can look different. The median is taken over each bottle’s cheapest in-stock listing, converted to 720 ml. The details are in How KIKI’s numbers work.
What about sugar and calories?
Honkaku shochu and awamori contain no sugar because they are distilled, while sake has about 3.5 to 5 g of sugar per 100 ml. Distillation collects the alcohol and aroma as vapour, and sugar does not evaporate, so it stays behind.
No sugar does not mean no calories. A 25 % shochu has about 140 kcal per 100 ml and sake about 100 to 110 kcal, and in both most of the calories come from the alcohol itself. Liqueurs such as umeshu, made by adding sugar to shochu, are another matter. Figures per glass are in Calories and sugar in sake and shochu.
How is awamori different from shochu?
In Japanese law awamori is a kind of single-distilled (honkaku) shochu: Okinawa’s spirit made only from rice koji grown with black koji mould and water. All of its rice is made into koji and only black koji is used, which sets it apart from other shochu.
On KIKI the median strength of awamori is 34.8 % and its median price per 720 ml is ¥1,925 (323 bottles), higher than shochu (10 Oct 2026). The full comparison is in How does awamori differ from shochu?.
Where on the label can I tell them apart?
The reliable place is the product category (品目, hinmoku) printed on the label. Sake says 清酒 (seishu), and sake made in Japan from Japanese rice only may say 日本酒 (nihonshu) instead.
Shochu labels say:
- Honkaku (single-distilled) shochu: 単式蒸留焼酎, 焼酎乙類 (otsurui) or 本格焼酎 (honkaku)
- Korui (continuous-distilled) shochu: 連続式蒸留焼酎, 焼酎甲類 (korui) or ホワイトリカー (white liquor)
- Awamori: 泡盛
- Blends of the two: 甲類乙類混和焼酎 or 乙類甲類混和焼酎
The rest of a sake label is covered in How to read a sake label.
Questions
Which is the brewed drink made by fermenting rice and rice koji and then pressing it, sake or shochu?
Sake (seishu). Japan's Liquor Tax Act defines seishu as rice, rice koji and water fermented and strained, with less than 22 % alcohol.
Which is made by distilling a fermented mash, sake or shochu?
Shochu. The Liquor Tax Act puts it among the distilled liquors, in two kinds: single-distilled shochu from a pot still (45 % or less) and continuous-distilled shochu from a column still (under 36 %).
Is shochu stronger than sake?
Usually, yes. The legal limits are under 22 % for sake and 45 % or less for single-distilled shochu, and on KIKI the median strength is 15.3 % for sake and 25 % for shochu (10 Oct 2026).
Which costs more per 720 ml, sake or shochu?
Sake, on KIKI's price data. The median price per 720 ml is ¥1,590 for sake and ¥1,173 for shochu, a gap of ¥417 (10 Oct 2026).
Which has no sugar, sake or shochu?
Honkaku shochu and awamori. Sugar does not survive distillation, so they contain none, although the alcohol still has calories. Sake has about 3.5 to 5 g of sugar per 100 ml.
Is awamori a kind of shochu?
Yes. In Japanese law awamori is a single-distilled shochu: Okinawa's spirit made only from rice koji grown with black koji mould and water, distilled in a pot still.
What does "honkaku shochu" on a label mean?
It is single-distilled shochu (otsurui) made from the raw materials the Liquor Tax Act lists, such as grains or sweet potatoes with their koji, sake lees or brown sugar. Distilled in a pot still, it keeps the aroma and flavour of its main ingredient.