When speaking about rice wines, one usually thinks of sake, either warmed up or drunk cold to pair with some sushi or some izakaya fare. A drink brewed from polished rice, water, yeast, and koji mould, it is one of Japan’s largest alcohol exports.
However, there is another rice wine that not only has centuries of history in Japan, but also has been made with rice from Thailand almost since its inception.
Awamori, a spirit unique to Okinawa, Japan, has a rich history intertwined with Thailand. Its origins are in the 15th century during Japan’s Ryukyu Kingdom (AD1429 – 1879), a period marked by vibrant maritime trade.
The kingdom established strong commercial and cultural ties with Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, then known as Siam.
The spirit’s origins go back to the Thai drink lao khao, with distillation techniques arriving in Okinawa from Thailand during the 15th century. At the time, Okinawa served as a trading hub linking Southeast Asia, China and Japan.
