Shochu that goes with amontillado sherry
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix amontillado sherry into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Lustau or González Byass. Fino is salt and living flor; this is what is left after the flor dies, and at 18 percent an ounce lengthens the glass rather than strengthening it.
Best bottles for amontillado sherry
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
rice, soft, umami, rich
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
rice, smooth, aged
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
rice, soft, umami, rich
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
rice, aged
barley, umami, aged
Grouped by what the shochu is made from, because that is the level the reasoning works at: what this does to an imo shochu is a fact about imo shochu rather than about one bottle. Within each style the strongest matches come first, and bottles we pour are marked rather than promoted. The scores are the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round, but the labels are not: a bottle page badges at most twelve strong matches and at most three per family, so that the twelve describe that bottle rather than the same citrus and soda every time. Here there is no cap, so a pairing badged strong on this page can read as a good match on the bottle's own.
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini with koji where the juniper was. The strength depends on the bottle, not on the swap. Most shochu is 25 and lands well under a gin martini. The 40 percent bottles land beside one.
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
rice, soft, umami, rich
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
Show the other 62 amontillado sherry matches
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, umami, rich, aged
Oxidation sits on top of a delicate perfume rather than beside it
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged
A bottle described as sherry-like is being compared to this wine, so pour the wine
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Lustau or González Byass. Fino is salt and living flor; this is what is left after the flor dies, and at 18 percent an ounce lengthens the glass rather than strengthening it.
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, rich, bright
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
Mugi shochu
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
Show the other 85 amontillado sherry matches
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, citrus, melon, banana
Hazelnut and dried orange peel land straight on a nutty bottle
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, dry, cask, aged
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth
barley, rich, clean
barley, soft, sweet
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, light-bodied
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, fruity, soft
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, silky, smooth
barley, clean, sharp
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
Awamori
Awamori has enough character to be the base of a cocktail, not the neutral part of one. So an orange liqueur or a mezcal sits beside it instead of covering it.
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Show the other 102 amontillado sherry matches
rice, nutty, dry, aged
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Lustau or González Byass. Fino is salt and living flor; this is what is left after the flor dies, and at 18 percent an ounce lengthens the glass rather than strengthening it.
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, toast, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Oxidation sits on top of a delicate perfume rather than beside it
rice, floral, honey, caramel
Imo shochu
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
Show the other 48 amontillado sherry matches
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
Oxidation sits on top of a delicate perfume rather than beside it
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
A bottle described as sherry-like is being compared to this wine, so pour the wine
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Kokuto shochu
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
The bottle already smells of dried fruit, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Hazelnut and dried orange peel land straight on a nutty bottle
Show the other 8 amontillado sherry matches
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Soba shochu
Hazelnut and dried orange peel land straight on a nutty bottle
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
buckwheat, cask, aged
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Show the other 4 amontillado sherry matches
buckwheat, barley, rice
buckwheat, sweet
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Both have spent years going quietly brown, and they meet in the middle
Flor leaves a savoury edge behind it, and koji leaves the same one
smooth, rich, aged
roasted grain, umami, smooth
Show the other 4 amontillado sherry matches
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Hazelnut and dried orange peel land straight on a nutty bottle