10/03/2025
In Okinawa, the tradition of aging awamori takes a distinctive form known as sh*tsugi (ä»æŹĄă) â a method of continuous aging that uses a series of five unglazed earthenware jars.
When liquor is drawn from the oldest jar â called the âparent liquorâ â itâs replenished with awamori from the next oldest jar, and so on down the line. Each jar is topped off with younger spirit, but the parent liquor is never emptied, allowing it to gain layered complexity over time.
During the Ryukyu Dynasty, awamori production was controlled by the royal government, but sh*tsugi was practiced privately by the royal family and prominent households. Some aged awamori lasted over 100 years, though most were tragically lost during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.
Today, sh*tsugi lives on through awamori connoisseurs rather than producers. Studies comparing sh*tsugi-aged and non-sh*tsugi-aged awamori show that the former tends to have richer vanilla and caramel-like aromas â hallmarks of long-term maturation.
