Shochu that goes with hot water (oyuwari)
Water, hot and cold
These are bottles to mix hot water (oyuwari) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Hot water in the glass first, spirit poured on top so it mixes itself. Around 40C in the glass is the sweet spot. This is not the only way, it is one way.
Best bottles for hot water (oyuwari)
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Hot water is the Kagoshima serve and it earns its reputation: heat pulls the earth and the sweetness up out of the glass. Cold water does the opposite and lengthens it without changing its shape.
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
Warmth brings rice sweetness forward instead of washing it out. That's why the hot serve is the traditional one in Kuma, where they've distilled rice shochu for around five hundred years.
Heat carries spice aromatics up out of the glass; cold leaves them sitting in it
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
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
Hot water is the Kagoshima serve and it earns its reputation: heat pulls the earth and the sweetness up out of the glass. Cold water does the opposite and lengthens it without changing its shape.
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
Show the other 155 hot water (oyuwari) matches
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
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, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
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, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
Mugi shochu
Barley has less to open up than sweet potato, so water shows you exactly what is there. That is a fair test and not always a flattering one: a thin mugi has nowhere to hide in it.
Heat carries spice aromatics up out of the glass; cold leaves them sitting in it
Heat pulls the earth and the sweetness out of a bottle
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
Warmth opens caramel; the same bottle cold keeps most of it below the rim
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
Show the other 94 hot water (oyuwari) matches
barley, toast, spice, rich
A grain note behaves like a broth: it wants warmth, and cold keeps it flat
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
Rich bottles are built for warmth
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, rich, crisp
barley, rich, clean
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, 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, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
Vanilla is volatile and warmth releases it; the same bottle over ice keeps it shut
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
A bread note is yeast and warmth brings it forward, which is why it is stronger in a warm bakery
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, rich
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, banana, berry, bread
Heat blows off delicate perfume
Mugi oyuwari in winter, with an umeboshi
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth
barley, soft, sweet
barley, light-bodied
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, fruity, soft
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, bright
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, silky, smooth
barley, clean, sharp
barley, cask, aged
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kome shochu
Warmth brings rice sweetness forward instead of washing it out. That's why the hot serve is the traditional one in Kuma, where they've distilled rice shochu for around five hundred years.
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
Show the other 60 hot water (oyuwari) matches
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, rich, bright
rice, smooth, rich
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
Kokuto shochu
Warmth brings the molasses aroma forward. Cold water lengthens without pushing it further, which is the better choice when that aroma is already doing enough.
Heat carries spice aromatics up out of the glass; cold leaves them sitting in it
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
Rich bottles are built for warmth
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Vanilla is volatile and warmth releases it; the same bottle over ice keeps it shut
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
Show the other 21 hot water (oyuwari) matches
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Kokuto oyuwari smells of brown sugar candy
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Soba shochu
Heat is what makes buckwheat smell toasted rather than merely nutty. That's most of the reason to pick a soba shochu at all.
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
buckwheat, savory, nutty, earthy
buckwheat, barley, rice
buckwheat, smooth, aged
buckwheat, smooth
Show the other 4 hot water (oyuwari) matches
buckwheat, sweet
buckwheat, cask, aged
Awamori
Warmth opens caramel; the same bottle cold keeps most of it below the rim
Heat carries spice aromatics up out of the glass; cold leaves them sitting in it
rice, pear, caramel, rich
Heat pulls the earth and the sweetness out of a bottle
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
Rich bottles are built for warmth
Show the other 28 hot water (oyuwari) matches
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
A grain note behaves like a broth: it wants warmth, and cold keeps it flat
Vanilla is volatile and warmth releases it; the same bottle over ice keeps it shut
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
Maple is a warm sugar and it opens at the temperature it is poured over pancakes at
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Heat blows off delicate perfume
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Chestnut is a soft aroma and warmth is what gets it out of the glass
Heat carries spice aromatics up out of the glass; cold leaves them sitting in it
Vanilla is volatile and warmth releases it; the same bottle over ice keeps it shut
Oyuwari: hot water first, then shochu, six of shochu to four of water. Imo shochu opens up in warmth
Show the other 8 hot water (oyuwari) matches
Rich bottles are built for warmth
chestnut, soft, sweet
smooth, rich, aged
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Heat blows off delicate perfume
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Water dilutes the botanical without adding anything to argue with it. Useful when the bottle is strong enough that soda would only make it louder.
Rich bottles are built for warmth
Mugi oyuwari in winter, with an umeboshi
citrus, bright, bitter, crisp
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
coffee, chocolate, brown sugar, rice
Show the other 3 hot water (oyuwari) matches
shiso, red shiso
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Oyuwari: hot water first, then shochu, six of shochu to four of water. Imo shochu opens up in warmth
Mugi oyuwari in winter, with an umeboshi