Shochu that goes with cucumber
Melon, cucumber and garden
These are bottles to mix cucumber into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Ribbons or muddled slices. Cucumber is what turns a serious glass into something you drink outside without thinking about it.
Best bottles for cucumber
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
rice, rich, clean, bright
barley, rich, clean
Cucumber is melon's cool cousin; the two are the same family of aromas
barley, umami, savory, 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
Cucumber and a clean barley highball is the most refreshing thing you can build out of this category.
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
Show the other 94 cucumber matches
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
Cucumber is melon's cool cousin; the two are the same family of aromas
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Cucumber and rice is the flavor of a Japanese summer lunch
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, citrus, melon, banana
Barley shochu, cucumber, soda: a highball that tastes like a cool room
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, sweet, clean
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, sweet
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, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, umami, light-bodied
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, soft, cask, aged
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
Roast and cucumber pull apart
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
Kome shochu
Melon and cucumber sit in the same aroma family as a ginjo-scented rice spirit.
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
rice, rich, clean, bright
Cucumber is melon's cool cousin; the two are the same family of aromas
Show the other 64 cucumber matches
rice, light-bodied, clean
Cucumber and rice is the flavor of a Japanese summer lunch
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Awamori
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
Show the other 98 cucumber matches
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rich, smooth, clean, soft
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
Cucumber and rice is the flavor of a Japanese summer lunch
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, 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, light-bodied, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, 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, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Imo shochu
Two green notes at the same pitch, and neither has to be turned down
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
Show the other 17 cucumber matches
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
Cucumber is melon's cool cousin; the two are the same family of aromas
Cucumber and mint together read as cold
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, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
barley, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
Barley shochu, cucumber, soda: a highball that tastes like a cool room
Cucumber and rice is the flavor of a Japanese summer lunch
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Barley shochu, cucumber, soda: a highball that tastes like a cool room
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
Cucumber on a clean bottle is the most refreshing thing on this list
Soba shochu
Cucumber and rice is the flavor of a Japanese summer lunch