Discover shochu, Japan’s other indigenous alcoholic beverage. Unlike sake, which is brewed, shochu is distilled (similar to vodka or whiskey), and can be made from a variety of raw ingredients, including barley, sweet potatoes, rice or even brown sugar. The shochu-making process produces a distinctly musical bubbling sound as vapors escape the earthenware jar, lending shochu a mystical quality. Shinichiro Watanabe, Chairman of the Committee on Shochu Planning at Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, examines the complexities of this versatile spirit, including its use in religious ceremonies on the island of Kyushu. The talk will also feature a short musical performance incorporating the ethereal sound of shochu fermentation, composed by Mamoru Fujieda. $39/$34 Japan Society members