Shouchuu is a delightful Japanese alcoholic beverage made from barley, rice, sweet potatoes, or, as in this case, buckwheat. The interesting thing about these two bottles is that they’re obviously the same brand with similar labels, but the one on the left, bought at the San Francisco Japanese market Nijiya, is 50 proof, but the one on the right, bought at a Korean market in Oakland, is 71.23 proof. Both are similar in price and in taste. Why the difference? I don’t know. Can anyone help with this. 誰か日本人が知っていますか。

Also, on the same subject, there was a great article in the New York Times about shouchuu. (free registration required, via the great Japundit)