Shochu that goes with milk
Cream and milk
These are bottles to mix milk into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Cold whole milk. Fat rounds a spirit off the way it does in coffee, and it is not a dare.
Best bottles for milk
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink
Kokuto shochu and milk is an Amami dessert
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto
kokuto
kokuto, aged
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, aged
kokuto, cask, aged
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
Dairy softens imo shochu, and for somebody who thinks they dislike it that is exactly the point. Milk or Calpis is the usual route in.
Milk softens tannin, so a tea that would be harsh against a spirit turns creamy instead
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
Show the other 142 milk matches
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
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, 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, roasted grain
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
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
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, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
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, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
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, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Awamori
Milk softens awamori rather than fighting it. That's why the milk cut is an ordinary order in Okinawa. Miyakojima goes further and builds miruku zake from awamori, water and condensed milk.
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
Show the other 98 milk matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
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, earthy, mushroom, rich
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
Kokuto shochu
Molasses and dairy is dessert. Kokuto shochu with milk is an ordinary Amami one, and cream makes it a flip.
Kokuto shochu and milk is an Amami dessert
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Show the other 21 milk matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Mugi shochu
The Calpis sour is a familiar order in Japan, usually on a neutral shochu, and a clean mugi slots in without fuss. Cream is a different and much narrower idea.
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
Show the other 16 milk matches
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Works for the sweet and nutty bottles, sesame especially. Not for the sharp herbal ones.
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink
coffee, chocolate, brown sugar, rice
Show the other 1 milk matches
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Milk softens tannin, so a tea that would be harsh against a spirit turns creamy instead
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
chestnut, barley, fruity, rich
Soba shochu
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
The Calpis sour is built on a neutral base, which is exactly what this is.
Milk and barley shochu is a Kyushu grandmother's drink