2025 Master-Class Detail – From Black-Koji Moromi to 43 % Ancient Spirit
Awamori is the most extreme, archaic, and unforgiving distillation still legally practised anywhere on Earth in 2025.
Everything is designed for maximum flavour and maximum ageing potential.
Here is the exact 600-year-old process, step by step, as performed by the 61 remaining distilleries in Okinawa.
1. Rice & Koji (Only Two Ingredients Allowed)
Rice: 100 % Thai long-grain indica (jasmine-style, high amylose)
→ Short-grain japonica is illegal – it would make it “shochu,” not awamoriKoji: 100 % black koji (Aspergillus luchuensis)
→ Produces 1.5–2.5 % citric acid → moromi pH 3.2–3.4 (vinegar territory) → zero chance of bacterial contamination in 35 °C Okinawan heat
2. Koji Ratio – Insanely High
Normal honkaku shochu: 15–22 % of total rice is turned into koji
Awamori: 35–100 % of total rice is turned into koji
→ Some distilleries (e.g., Chuko, Yae Sakura) use 100 % all-koji method → every single grain is covered in black mould
→ Result: explosive enzyme power, massive amino-acid content, huge flavour precursors
3. Fermentation – The Longest in the World
Primary (shii-zake): 7–10 days
Secondary (moto): Thai rice + water + all the black koji added → 20–35 days total
→ Normal shochu ferments 14–18 days
→ Awamori ferments 25–45 days (some experimental 90-day batches)Final alcohol: 16–22 % ABV (higher than any other shochu moromi)
Temperature: 28–34 °C (hotter than mainland)
Moromi looks and smells like black volcanic mud with citrus punch
4. Distillation – Single Pot, Atmospheric Only
Legal rule: 100 % pot still, atmospheric pressure only (no vacuum allowed)
Still type: traditional direct-fire copper or stainless pot (some 100+ years old)
Charge: 3,000–8,000 L moromi per run
Run time: 6–10 hours
Cut points (very generous – heads & tails kept in for flavour):
→ Freshly distilled awamori comes off the still at 55–70 % ABV (average 62–65 %), then rested and diluted.
5. Immediate Post-Distillation Rest (1–6 months)
New-make stored undiluted in stainless or clay pots
Harsh edges mellow, esters develop
Some distilleries add 1–2 % of 10-year-old kusu as “seed” to guide maturation
6. Dilution & Bottling (Young Awamori)
Cut with pure Okinawan spring water to exactly 30 %, 35 %, or 43 % ABV
43 % is the traditional strength – “the taste of Ryukyu kings”
Young awamori (shinshu 新酒) = 0–3 years old
Must be labelled “awamori” if <3 years
7. Ageing → Kusu (古酒 = Old Liquor)
Legal rules (strictest in the world):
Ageing vessels:
Clay pots (kame 甕) buried underground – temperature stable 18–22 °C
Stainless tanks (modern, temperature-controlled)
Oak barrels (rare, only a few experimental brands)
Angel’s share in Okinawa: 6–10 % per year (vs. 2 % in Scotland) → a 50-year kusu has lost 95–99 % of original volume.
8. Final Numbers – One Batch Example (Zuisen Distillery, 2025)
10,000 kg Thai rice → 100 % black koji
35-day fermentation → 18–20 % ABV moromi
Single pot distillation → 7,000 L new-make at 64 % ABV
After 20 years in clay pots → ~400 L of 50 % kusu left
Bottled at 43 % → ~930 standard bottles
Retail price: ¥1,200,000–2,800,000 per bottle
Timeline of One Batch (Traditional All-Koji Method)
Day –3 Rice arrival & polishing
Day 0–2 Black koji making (48 h)
Day 3–10 Primary fermentation
Day 11–45 Secondary fermentation (all rice added)
Day 46 Distillation (8 h)
Day 47–180 New-make rest
Day 181+ Clay-pot ageing (3–60+ years)
Total from rice to drinkable young awamori: minimum 3 months
Total to world-class kusu: 15–60 years
Bottom Line – 2025
Awamori distillation is the closest thing on Earth to watching 15th-century Thai–Okinawan alchemy still being practised exactly the same way.
No vacuum stills.
No neutral spirit.
No shortcuts.
Just black mould, Thai rice, one copper pot, and decades of patience.
That is why a 50-year kusu tastes like liquid history — because it literally is.
Kwanpai!
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