Shochu that goes with kuri (chestnut) liqueur
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix kuri (chestnut) liqueur into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Zuiyo's Kuririn, from Japanese chestnuts at 11 percent, or Dover's wa-shu kuri, which is on a rum base. A dessert direction, and not the same thing as kuri shochu, which is a base spirit.
Best bottles for kuri (chestnut) liqueur
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it
Chestnut and cocoa is a dessert that already exists
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
Nut on nut, and on a kuri shochu one of the two is the bottle's own raw material
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
rice, smooth, aged
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
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
Chestnut and cocoa is a dessert that already exists
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
Show the other 78 kuri (chestnut) liqueur matches
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, banana, toast
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, toast, cereal, rich
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth
barley, rich, clean
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, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, light-bodied
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, fruity, soft
barley, roasted grain
barley, cask
barley, rich, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, umami, aged
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, aged
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, silky, smooth
barley, clean, sharp
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, toast, savory, rich
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.
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
rice, smooth, aged
rice, floral, aged
Show the other 62 kuri (chestnut) liqueur matches
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, light-bodied, clean
Chestnut and cocoa is a dessert that already exists
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
Zuiyo's Kuririn, from Japanese chestnuts at 11 percent, or Dover's wa-shu kuri, which is on a rum base. A dessert direction, and not the same thing as kuri shochu, which is a base spirit.
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, ginjo-like
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, citrus, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, umami, rich
rice, clean, aged
rice, clean, aged
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Starch and roast dull a bright, high-acid bottle
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.
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Chestnut and cocoa is a dessert that already exists
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
Show the other 99 kuri (chestnut) liqueur matches
rice, floral, honey, caramel
Nut on nut, and on a kuri shochu one of the two is the bottle's own raw material
Zuiyo's Kuririn, from Japanese chestnuts at 11 percent, or Dover's wa-shu kuri, which is on a rum base. A dessert direction, and not the same thing as kuri shochu, which is a base spirit.
rich, smooth, clean, soft
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, citrus, cereal, 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, clean, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, soft, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, citrus
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
Soba shochu
Nut on nut, and on a kuri shochu one of the two is the bottle's own raw material
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
buckwheat, smooth
buckwheat, soft
buckwheat, barley, rice
Show the other 4 kuri (chestnut) liqueur matches
buckwheat, sweet
buckwheat, cask, aged
buckwheat, umami
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Chestnut is in this bottle itself, not just on its nose, so this adds more of the same rather than a second flavour.
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Kokuto shochu
Chestnut and cocoa is a dessert that already exists
Imo shochu
A chestnut liqueur on a chestnut shochu is the same nut twice, which is the whole idea
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Starchy sweetness and a roasted note, thickening the glass rather than brightening it