Shochu that goes with kinome (sansho leaf)
Herbs
These are bottles to mix kinome (sansho leaf) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Young sansho leaves, clapped between the palms and floated. Hard to find outside Japanese markets in spring, worth the hunt.
Best bottles for kinome (sansho leaf)
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
rice, citrus, crisp
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, smooth, aged
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
barley, soft, light-bodied, 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.
Awamori
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, clean, sweet
Show the other 98 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, toast, sweet
rice, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
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, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, floral, honey, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
Mugi shochu
A clean barley spirit takes herbs the way vodka does, but with a cereal sweetness underneath that gives them something to sit on.
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
Show the other 94 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, rich, clean
Kinome tastes of citrus peel and pepper at once
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, sweet, clean
barley, clean, sharp
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, smooth
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, soft, sweet
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, fruity, soft
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, umami, aged
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, bright
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, vanilla, cask
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, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, silky, smooth
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kome shochu
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, rich, clean, bright
Show the other 64 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
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, smooth, aged
rice, floral, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Kokuto shochu
Amami's molasses aroma is already in the bottle, so a green herb has something to sit against.
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Show the other 21 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Imo shochu
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
Kinome tastes of citrus peel and pepper at once
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
Show the other 18 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
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, rich
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Only where the herb agrees with the bottle's own botanical. Shiso on shiso works; rosemary on shiso does not.
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
rice, citrus, crisp
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
Young sansho leaves, clapped between the palms and floated. Hard to find outside Japanese markets in spring, worth the hunt.
shiso, red shiso, herbal, floral
Show the other 4 kinome (sansho leaf) matches
tropical fruit, rich
shiso, red shiso
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
barley, soft, crisp, clean
corn, savory, sweet, clean
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Kinome tastes of citrus peel and pepper at once
citrus, plum, sweet, yuzu
A single leaf on a clean bottle changes the whole glass
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
Soba shochu
The classic spring garnish for rice dishes; it belongs on rice wine too