Scotch meets shochu

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), a quasi-governmental body, has recently decided to help the association of shochu distilled spirits makers in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture on the southernmost major Japanese island of Kyushu, to develop a new brand of liquor, blending local Kuma shochu and Scotch whisky. Shochu is a clear alcoholic beverage, a cousin to Korea's soju. Asia Times reports.