Awamori shipments fall 5.7% and exports drop 20%, but liqueurs offer a way forward

Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, has its own traditional distilled spirit, “awamori”, which belongs to a different lineage from the sake of Honshu. It is made from rice fermented with black koji mould and then distilled, and awamori aged for a long time is called “koosu” (kusu, aged awamori). In April 2026 the Okinawa Prefecture Sake Brewers’ Association, the industry body, announced that shipments in 2025 (January to December) came to 11,733 kilolitres, down 5.7% on the previous year. That is only 73.3% of the 2019 level before the Covid-19 pandemic (16,009 kilolitres); the association says the recovery is still incomplete and that the decline may continue.

Lower local consumption and a shrinking tax break

Shipments within Okinawa, which account for about 80% of the total, fell 6.9%, while shipments to the rest of Japan fell 0.9%. The main reasons given are younger generations drinking less and a wider variety of ways of drinking. In addition, the reduced liquor tax rate granted to Okinawan alcoholic drinks has been scaled back in stages since May 2024. There was a rush of buying just before the first reduction, but shipments never exceeded the same period of the previous year afterwards. A second stage of the reduction took place in May 2026, and the tax break is expected to be abolished completely in 2032. In December 2024 “traditional sake-making in Japan”, which includes awamori, was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list and attracted attention, but this reportedly did not translate into a recovery in demand. Production in 2025, meanwhile, rose 6.0% to 12,451 kilolitres, exceeding the previous year for the first time in three years. This is thought to be because distilleries have been adjusting their stocks.

Exports of 36 kilolitres, with liqueurs the only growth

Exports fell 21.7% to 36 kilolitres. By country, the United States, in first place, rose to 8,800 litres (8,000 litres the previous year) and Taiwan, in second place, rose to 8,700 litres (2,400 litres), but this could not make up for the overall decline. With exports sluggish, shipments of raw-material alcohol above 45% ABV also fell 32.4%. The bright spot is liqueurs. Overseas shipments of liqueurs made by awamori distilleries rose 29.8% to 49.2 kilolitres, and liqueurs as a whole rose 2.1% to 495 kilolitres.

More than half of distilleries in the red, but new ways of drinking aim to turn things around

Of the 44 companies that make awamori, 23 recorded an operating loss, and their combined operating profit was minus 282 million yen. Even so, some distilleries have returned to profit through easy-drinking new products, expansion into drinks other than awamori, and price rises. To change younger people’s impression of awamori as a “too strong drink”, the association’s chairman, Manabu Sakumoto, plans to suggest new ways of drinking, such as mixing with soda, and to put more effort into promotion on social media.

If you want to try awamori in Europe, a good start is a common brand with a relatively low ABV, mixed with soda in the way the producer recommends. The awamori-based liqueurs that are growing overseas are another way in. Once you are used to it, try an aged awamori (koosu) that states its age, taking small sips neat to notice how the aroma changes with maturation. Because production is limited, the quickest route is to check the lists of specialist importers and retailers that handle Japanese spirits.