In developing a new production method for rice- shochu using its post-distillation slurry in place of the first stage mash, its yeast autolysis would add off-flavor to resultant shochu .To minimize yeast autolysis, breeding of shochu yeast with high viability was attempted.Thirty four shochu yeast strains ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) underwent 4 rounds of autolysis of which method was developed by Hara, Umetsu, Totsuka and Iimura (1979).Viability of yeast cells was determined by the alkaline methylene blue staining method.Generally 13 to 18 ethanol-tolerant strains were isolated from one parental strain. Although the newly acquired property of high viability was easily lost during subcultures, storing the isolates on 2% YPD medium slants added with 11% ethanol as a final concentration retained high viability and ethanol-tolerance.Eight strains with high viability were evaluated by laboratory-scale shochu making tests. Consequently, the strain S 20 E 12 was subsequently examined in a two-liter shochu making test.The yeast was 75% viable after 5 days in the first mash even though ethanol content was about 19%v/v and about 90% viable in 8th day of the second stage mash.However, its value dropped to 13% drastically in 11 th day.The autolysis was not occurred yet.