Shochu that goes with mint
Herbs
These are bottles to mix mint into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Slapped, not muddled to bits. Mint reads as cold, which makes any low-proof drink feel more refreshing.
Best bottles for mint
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Brown sugar spirit, mint, lime, soda: a mojito with an Amami accent
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, crisp, clean
kokuto
kokuto
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.
Kokuto shochu
Mint, lime and a cane spirit is a mojito, and Amami has the sugar for it.
Brown sugar spirit, mint, lime, soda: a mojito with an Amami accent
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Show the other 21 mint matches
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Mint's brightness argues with aged notes
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
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.
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, soft, clean
Show the other 59 mint matches
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, rich, crisp
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, banana, toast
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, banana, berry, bread
Mint's brightness argues with aged notes
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
Imo shochu
The bottle already smells of mint, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
Show the other 8 mint matches
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
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.
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
sesame, nutty, toast, off-dry
Slapped, not muddled to bits. Mint reads as cold, which makes any low-proof drink feel more refreshing.
shiso, red shiso, herbal, floral
Show the other 4 mint matches
Kome shochu
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, light-bodied, clean
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
soft, light-bodied, clean, sweet
barley, soft, crisp, clean
Awamori
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Mint on a clean bottle is a mojito with the rum swapped out