How much Shochu?

After a lot of searching, I've found a Canadian importer of a variety of Shochus, as well as sake. That's the good news.

Shochu, for the all-too-many uninitiated, is a Japanese spirit. It's similar to vodka, but with more flavour. Each region of Japan (and Korea, where it's called Sochu) make their own version, using different starch sources as their base.

For instance, in Kumamoto, they use rice. Barley is used in Nagasaki, and potato in Kagoshima and Kyushu. Other starches include sweet rice, sweet potato, and buckwheat.

Some shochu, like Awamori, is exposed to a mould called Koji. This changes the flavour of the spirit, much like botrytis affects grapes and the wine that's made from them.

The problem - and it's a big one - is that the importer will only ship me cases of 12. That's a lot of shochu, especially when I want to carry a variety of them - maybe even offer shochu pairings or flights. And, no, no split cases.

One answer is to try to promote shochu locally - perhaps a tasting with wine and food writers, or the Sommelier Guild. Another is to build some shochu cocktails, to increase the consumption and knowledge of the product.

I'm open to ideas.