Shochu that goes with ginger
Spice and warmth
These are bottles to mix ginger into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Fresh juice, a syrup, or a good ginger beer. The spice that makes a low-proof drink feel like it has a backbone.
Best bottles for ginger
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Ginger and brown sugar is a dark and stormy. Kokuto shochu makes it at half the alcohol.
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Ginger and sweet potato is a Japanese autumn kitchen
Ginger here is heat rather than a new flavour, so it extends the bottle instead of covering it
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
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
Spice reads as native on this base rather than imported, star anise and chilli and ginger most of all.
Ginger heat gives earthy bottles a pulse
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
Ginger here is heat rather than a new flavour, so it extends the bottle instead of covering it
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi
Show the other 101 ginger matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
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, 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, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, 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, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
Ginger heat stomps on delicate perfume
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
Imo shochu
Ginger and sweet potato are the same autumn kitchen. Heat gives an earthy bottle a pulse.
Ginger and sweet potato is a Japanese autumn kitchen
Ginger here is heat rather than a new flavour, so it extends the bottle instead of covering it
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
Show the other 155 ginger matches
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
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, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
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, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
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
Ginger heat stomps on delicate perfume
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
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, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
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, sweet, clean, rich
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, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
Kokuto shochu
Ginger and brown sugar is a dark and stormy. Kokuto shochu makes it at half the alcohol.
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Show the other 21 ginger matches
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Kome shochu
Ginger here is heat rather than a new flavour, so it extends the bottle instead of covering it
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
Show the other 58 ginger matches
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, light-bodied, clean
Mugi shochu
Ginger here is heat rather than a new flavour, so it extends the bottle instead of covering it
Ginger heat gives earthy bottles a pulse
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
Show the other 9 ginger matches
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi
barley, rice, umami
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, spice, rich
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
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Ginger is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
Yuzu peel and ginger are both aromatic rather than sour, so they stack instead of competing
Ginger and sweet potato is a Japanese autumn kitchen
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
Show the other 1 ginger matches
Soba shochu
Ginger heat gives earthy bottles a pulse
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Yuzu peel and ginger are both aromatic rather than sour, so they stack instead of competing
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Ginger and sweet potato is a Japanese autumn kitchen
Ginger and rice: think of the pickled ginger next to sushi