A non-cooking fermentation system for shochu spirit production was evaluated using both small-scale and bench pilot-scale equipment. This system employed a commercially available fungal enzyme preparation as saccharifying agent together with citric acid. The fermentation products from bench-scale equipment were distilled under vacuum or atmospheric conditions and the distillates were evaluated by a taste panel. Distillates produced under atmospheric conditions by the non-cooking fermentation method compared favorably with those produced by the cooking fermentation method. This method of production could result in significant savings of labor and energy if operated on a production scale. A case study and an analysis of economic aspects were carried out in a medium-scale shochu spirit factory.