Shochu that goes with fino sherry
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix fino sherry into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Fino or manzanilla. Savory, salty, bone dry.
Best bottles for fino 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.
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
Oxidative on oxidative
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, aged
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, umami
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, smooth, maple, umami
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.
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.
Oxidative on oxidative
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
Show the other 102 fino sherry matches
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, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
Rice shochu and fino, stirred: a bamboo variation
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, sweet
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
Fino or manzanilla. Savory, salty, bone dry.
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
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.
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
Oxidative on oxidative
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
Show the other 64 fino sherry matches
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, umami, rich
Rice shochu and fino, stirred: a bamboo variation
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, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Fino's salt flattens perfume
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, rich, bright
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
Mugi shochu
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
Show the other 85 fino sherry matches
Oxidative on oxidative
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
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
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, soft, silky, smooth
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, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
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, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
Imo shochu
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
Show the other 47 fino sherry matches
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
Oxidative on oxidative
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
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, 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
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
Fino's salt flattens perfume
Kokuto shochu
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
Oxidative on oxidative
kokuto, cask, aged
Show the other 7 fino sherry matches
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Soba shochu
Oxidative on oxidative
Rice shochu and fino, stirred: a bamboo variation
buckwheat, cask, aged
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
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 fino sherry matches
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Fino's salt and yeast meet the savour koji leaves behind
tea, umami, savory, rich
Oxidative on oxidative
roasted grain, umami, smooth
Show the other 4 fino sherry matches
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Rice shochu and fino, stirred: a bamboo variation
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Rice shochu and fino, stirred: a bamboo variation