Shochu that goes with black pepper
Spice and warmth
These are bottles to mix black pepper into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A few grinds over the top. Aroma more than heat.
Best bottles for black pepper
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
Warm spice meets the brown-sugar aroma the distillate keeps. The sugar itself is gone, so sweeten separately if the drink needs it.
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, 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.
Imo shochu
Warm spice gives an earthy bottle a pulse without covering the earth itself.
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
Show the other 145 black pepper matches
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
Strawberry and black pepper is a chef's pairing that works in a glass
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Pepper and perfume fight
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Kokuto shochu
Warm spice meets the brown-sugar aroma the distillate keeps. The sugar itself is gone, so sweeten separately if the drink needs it.
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
Show the other 21 black pepper matches
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Awamori
Spice reads as native on this base rather than imported, star anise and chilli and ginger most of all.
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Show the other 100 black pepper matches
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
Pepper and earth
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
A few grinds over the top. Aroma more than heat.
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
Mugi shochu
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
Pepper and earth
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
Show the other 14 black pepper matches
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, umami, light-bodied
Strawberry and black pepper is a chef's pairing that works in a glass
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Kome shochu
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
Show the other 12 black pepper matches
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Pepper wakes up savory bottles
roasted grain, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Soba shochu
Pepper and earth
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Pepper wakes up savory bottles