Shochu that goes with banana
Tropical fruit
These are bottles to mix banana into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Ripe banana, muddled or as a syrup. Isoamyl acetate, the ester behind a ginjo aroma, is the same compound that makes a banana smell of banana.
Best bottles for banana
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
Under its strength awamori is sweet and floral, and that is the half of it tropical fruit answers.
kokuto
kokuto
kokuto, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, 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.
Kokuto shochu
Everything the tiki canon does with rum works here, and works better, because the drink does not end the evening.
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
Show the other 21 banana matches
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Awamori
Under its strength awamori is sweet and floral, and that is the half of it tropical fruit answers.
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
Show the other 97 banana matches
rich, smooth, clean, soft
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Imo shochu
The newer imo shochu are bred for lychee and tropical aromatics, so tropical fruit is agreeing with the bottle rather than fighting it.
A banana note in a spirit is usually isoamyl acetate, the ester the fruit itself smells of
Cask-aged shochu and banana is a bourbon instinct
Ripe banana, muddled or as a syrup. Isoamyl acetate, the ester behind a ginjo aroma, is the same compound that makes a banana smell of banana.
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Show the other 76 banana matches
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
Banana makes a crisp bottle feel heavy
Mugi shochu
A banana note in a spirit is usually isoamyl acetate, the ester the fruit itself smells of
Cask-aged shochu and banana is a bourbon instinct
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
Show the other 14 banana matches
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, cask, aged
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kome shochu
A banana note in a spirit is usually isoamyl acetate, the ester the fruit itself smells of
Cask-aged shochu and banana is a bourbon instinct
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
Show the other 6 banana matches
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Cask-aged shochu and banana is a bourbon instinct
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
Soba shochu
Cask-aged shochu and banana is a bourbon instinct