Shochu X: A Fusion of Eastern Tradition and Western Aesthetics

Designer Kota Sagae's Award-Winning Rebranding of a Traditional Japanese Spirit

Shochu is a distilled spirit akin to whiskey, made from ingredients such as rice, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and barley. After single distillation, it can be aged for a long time in ceramic bottles, enamel tanks, or wooden barrels. Like whiskey, different shochu are sometimes blended to create complex and diverse flavors. To match the diversity of the product, Sagae applied a different appearance to each flavor in the design.

The design inspiration came from the social significance of alcoholic beverages, which serve to connect people. Sagae emphasized a design that blends multi-ethnic cultures and aligns with global lifestyle trends. He adopted a combination of a bottle shape and label typically used for Western spirits. However, he contrasted this with a graphic design featuring a Japanese-style pattern and minimalist aesthetics, expressing the cultural fusion between the West and the East.

This design was created for the rebranding of Shochu X, a company that has been modernizing shochu, a traditional spirit produced mainly in many parts of the Kyushu region in Japan. Sagae focused on the fact that this brand does not simply offer the value of alcoholic beverages, but also places great importance on its relationship with food culture and lifestyles.

The bottle size is Φ85mm, H175mm, and the design tags include Japanese-style, minimal, luxury, fusion, and lifestyle. The design team included Creative Director Kota Sagae, Art Director Kota Sagae, Designer Kota Sagae, Creator Keisuke Hashimoto, Marketing Director Daiki Okabe, and Production Manager Miwa Nishii.

The design was awarded the Golden A' Packaging Design Award in 2023, a prestigious honor granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom. These are venerated products and bright ideas that advance art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.