Zuisen Awamori: Hakuryu, Hiryu and Kouryu From Below Shuri Castle

Awamori is not shochu, even though it usually gets filed next to it.

It's Okinawa's own spirit, made from Thai long-grain rice with black koji, and distilled only once. Aged versions are called kusu. It predates shochu on the main islands by a long way.

Zuisen is the awamori house we pour most of.

Where It Comes From

Zuisen Distillery was founded in 1887 in Shurisakiyama-cho, Naha. It's the closest awamori distillery to Shuri Castle, and its roots are in Sakiyama, one of the three traditional awamori brewing districts historically known as the Sanka.

That location isn't incidental. Awamori production around Shuri was tied to the Ryukyu court, and Sakiyama was one of the districts licensed to make it.

The Koji They Brought Back

The best story about this distillery is a technical one.

In 1999 Zuisen revived a strain of pre-war black koji mold that had been preserved at the University of Tokyo. They used it to produce Usaki, bringing back a character that had effectively disappeared from modern awamori, fruitier and more refined, with a gentler sweetness than the contemporary style.

A spirit made with a mold recovered from a university collection is a genuinely unusual thing to be able to say.

The Three We Pour

Hakuryu — clean and elegant, with a subtle sweetness. The approachable one, and where we start most people.

Hiryu — bolder and more complex, with deep umami. This is the one for someone who already knows what awamori tastes like.

Kouryu — aged, and it shows. Smoother, with caramelized flavors and a hint of spice.

All three are named for dragons, which tells you something about how Okinawa thinks about its own spirit.

How to Drink It

Awamori takes water better than almost any spirit. Mizuwari with cold water, or oyuwari with hot, are both traditional and both correct.

Neat or on the rocks works for the aged expressions, where you want the texture.

If you're new to it, start with Hakuryu on the rocks, then try Kouryu neat to see what aging does.

Pair It With

Awamori handles strong food. Pork kakuni, tonsouku, buta kimchi, yakiniku, Okinawan cooking is pork-heavy for a reason and the spirit evolved alongside it.

Try It at Juraku

All three Zuisen expressions are on the shochu and awamori list at Izakaya Juraku, Lower East Side. Ask for a side-by-side if you want to understand kusu.