Sources in English
Although there aren’t yet any other books written in English that are specifically about shochu, if you’re an alcademic like me, then you need to take a few of these for a spin. I have included a couple of nihonshu-specific books just because I have a large amount of respect for the two gentlemen that wrote them, and the drink, like shochu, is inseparable from Japan’s gastronomic traditions.
Bunting, Chris. Drinking Japan. Tuttle, 2011.
Dornenburg, Andrew, and Karen Page. What to Drink with What you Eat. Bulfinch Press, 2006.
Gauntner, John. The Saké Handbook. Tuttle, 2002.
Harper, Philip. The Insider’s Guide to Saké. Kodansha International, 1998.
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food. Tuttle, 1995.
Sakamoto, Yukari. Food Sake Tokyo. Little Bookroom, 2010.
Allow me to include one online resource here as well. Quoted in chapter seven, Stephen Lyman’s website (http://kampai.us/) is well worth consulting when buying shochu that has found its way to a retailer outside of Japan. He is just as passionate about shochu as I am, so bookmark his website because it will continue to grow.
Sources in Japanese
This list is naturally longer due to the fact that the bulk of what is written about shochu and awamori has occurred in Japanese. Several of these books were invaluable to my ability to cross-check the information that I have unearthed during my research and travels.
Hashiguchi, Takashi. Honkaku Shochu. (Japanese Shochu Catalog & Bible.) Shinsei, 2004.
Honkaku Shochu Teisutingu BOOK. (Honkaku Shochu Tasting Book.) X Knowledge, 2005.
Ikkojin Henshūbu (Ikkojin Editorial Department.) Umai! Honkaku Shochu Nomikurabe. (Delicious! Honkaku Shochu Tasting.) Best Sellers, 2004.
Ina, Yasuyuki. Shochu 1,891 Shu. (Shochu Data Book.) Seibundō Shinkōsha, 2009.
Nagata, Taku. Shochu Techō. (Shochu Encyclopedia for Gourmet.) Tokyo Shoseki, 2010.
Nihon Shurui Kenkyūkai. Shochu Nyūmon. (The First Book of Tasting Shochu.) Gentosha, 2009.
Roswell, Hosoki. Shochu 100 Era. (100 Shochu Selections.) Nihon Bungeisha, 2012.
Satō, Yorihisa. Nihonshu to Shochu no Baiburu. (The Nihonshu and Shochu Bible.)
Shochu / Awamori Handobukku. (Shochu / Awamori Handbook.) Ikeda Shoten, 2008.
Shochu no Motoi. (Shochu Fundamentals.) Saké Service Institute (SSI), 2010.
Sumi, Kenji. Shochu no Kimoto. (The Basics of Shochu.) Ei Publishing Company, Ltd., 2010.
Tateyama, Masao. Honkaku Shochu / Awamori Handobukku. (Honkaku Shochu / Awamori Handbook.) Nikkei BP Kikaku, 2005.