Shochu Distillery's Whisky Named Best in Japan at TWSC

At the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition (TWSC) 2026, an international spirits competition held in Japan, Nishi Shuzo, a shochu distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture at the southern tip of Kyushu, came out on top in two categories. Its flagship sweet potato shochu and a single cask whisky from the company’s whisky distillery were both recognised, and the distillery has announced the result as a “double win”. The award ceremony took place on 30 July at Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo.

Sweet potato shochu Kicho Hozan takes the top rank

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Imo shochu is a Japanese spirit made by adding koji to sweet potatoes as the main ingredient, fermenting the mixture and then distilling it. Kagoshima is known as its largest production area. In the sweet potato shochu category at TWSC 2026, Nishi Shuzo’s Kicho Hozan won the Highest Gold Award and was also named “Best of the Best”, the category’s highest honour. A long-standing staple of the distillery has thus been confirmed once more as the best in its class by specialist judges. In announcing the award, the distillery expressed its gratitude to everyone involved in growing the ingredients, production and sales, as well as to those who drink it.

Ontake Distillery’s single cask wins the Japan Grand Prix

In the Western spirits category of the same competition, “SINGLE CASK STRENGTH JAPANESE WHISKY Ontake No.18”, made at Nishi Shuzo’s Ontake Distillery, won the Highest Gold Award and the Japan Grand Prix. Single cask strength means whisky drawn from a single cask and bottled at its natural cask strength without adding water, a style in which the character of each cask comes through undiluted. That a distillery with years of experience distilling shochu has also earned one of the highest ratings in Japan for whisky shows how far Japanese spirit-making now reaches.

How to enjoy them in Europe

In Europe, sweet potato shochu is still a rare sight. If you find a bottle at a specialist shop, try it at room temperature or with a little water first, and notice the rounded aroma that comes from the sweet potato. Single cask whiskies are produced in limited numbers, so they may not be easy to come by. Even so, looking for Japanese craft whisky from the angle of “whisky made by a shochu distillery” offers a new way to choose. Another pleasure is to taste the shochu and whisky from the same distillery side by side and see how its distilling expertise comes through.

Sources Nishi Shuzo, “TWSC2026 Award Ceremony” https://www.nishi-shuzo.co.jp/diary/twsc2026_jusho/