When most people think of Japanese spirits, they often think of sake, but it is in fact shochu that is the national spirit of Japan.  Outselling sake in Japan for the past decade, shochu is a clean, crisp white spirit that is rich in flavour that has been distilled and drunk in Japan since the 16th century.  Iichiko, has been Japan’s best-selling shochu producer for the past 30 years or so, which makes sense as the word literally means “it is good”.  Although shochu is unique among spirits in that it can be made from a variety of materials including rice, sweet potato or buckwheat, Iichiko made all their shochu from barley, which gives it rich malty notes.  To find out more about the spirit and iichiko’s variations, we talk to Tetsuro Miyazaki, General Manager of iichiko USA about nature, taste and of course the cocktails you can make with their liquids.