Shochu that goes with basil
Herbs
These are bottles to mix basil into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Muddled gently with citrus. Thai basil brings anise, Italian basil brings pepper.
Best bottles for basil
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, rich, clean
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.
Mugi shochu
A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
Show the other 90 basil matches
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, rice, umami
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Basil and earthy funk do not resolve
Imo shochu
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
Basil and citrus is a smash
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
Show the other 26 basil matches
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Kokuto shochu
Amami's molasses aroma is already in the bottle, so a green herb has something to sit against.
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Show the other 21 basil matches
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Awamori
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
Show the other 11 basil matches
rice, clean, bright, aged
Basil and citrus is a smash
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
Kome shochu
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
Basil and citrus is a smash
rice, rich, clean, bright
Show the other 6 basil matches
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, light-bodied, clean
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Only where the herb agrees with the bottle's own botanical. Shiso on shiso works; rosemary on shiso does not.
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
Thai and Italian basil both love tropical fruit
rice, citrus, crisp
Muddled gently with citrus. Thai basil brings anise, Italian basil brings pepper.
Show the other 4 basil matches
shiso, red shiso, herbal, floral
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
barley, soft, crisp, clean
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Basil and citrus is a smash
citrus, plum, sweet, yuzu
Basil on a clean bottle reads like a gin smash