Asian Grain Spirits (Baijiu, Shochu, Soju)

A diverse set of grain-based spirits from East Asia with distinct fermentation starters, stills, and flavor frameworks. These categories are large and internally varied; this overview focuses on broad features helpful for classification and discovery.

Baijiu (China)

Base: sorghum most common; also rice, wheat, corn.
Fermentation: solid-state with qu (mold/yeast starter); layered pit fermentation; complex microbial ecosystem.
Distillation: steam distillation from fermented solids.
Styles: aroma categories (Sauce, Strong, Light, Rice aroma, etc.).
Profile: from soy-sauce savory (Sauce aroma) to fruity/esters (Strong aroma) to delicate (Light/Rice).
Use: traditionally consumed neat with food; growing cocktail usage.

Shochu (Japan)

Base: barley, sweet potato (imo), rice, buckwheat, sugarcane; awamori (Okinawa) from long-grain Indica rice.
Fermentation: koji-based (aspergillus) saccharification; single or multiple fermentation steps.
Distillation: often single-distilled (honkaku shochu) to preserve character; also multiple-distilled styles.
Maturation: usually unaged or lightly rested; some cask use.
Profile: wide range—from earthy/savory (imo) to clean/grainy (mugi) to floral (kome/awamori).
Use: drunk neat, with water/hot water, or in highballs/cocktails.

Soju (Korea)

Base: historically rice; modern mass-market often neutral spirit from various sources with dilution; artisanal soju may be pot-distilled from rice/grain/sweet potato.
Fermentation: nuruk starters for traditional methods.
Distillation: traditional soju pot stills vs. industrial neutral spirit plus dilution and flavoring.
Profile: light, clean, sometimes lightly sweet; artisanal styles more characterful.
Use: widely consumed neat with food; increasing cocktail interest.

Classification Notes

Treat these as a top-level family (Asian Spirits) to avoid forcing into whisky/vodka buckets.
Use sub-style tags (e.g., Baijiu: Sauce/Strong/Light; Shochu: imo/mugi/kome; Soju: diluted vs. distilled).