Shochu that goes with sakura (cherry blossom)
Flowers
These are bottles to mix sakura (cherry blossom) into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Salt-pickled blossoms (rinsed) or sakura syrup. Floral, faintly almond, a touch of salt.
Best bottles for sakura (cherry blossom)
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
floral, clean, sharp, aged
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, 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.
Awamori
Awamori carries perfume of its own, so a flower works when it is quiet enough to sit beside that rather than argue with it.
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
Show the other 101 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, floral, honey, caramel
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, toast, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, clean, sharp, aged
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
Kome shochu
The cleanest of the shochu bases, so a flower actually reads instead of being swallowed.
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, aged, cask, smooth
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
Show the other 64 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, floral, aged
rice, smooth, full-bodied, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, citrus, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, clean, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, clean, aged
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, umami, rich, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, chocolate, sweet
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, light-bodied, clean
A blossom note cannot be heard under roast
Imo shochu
Only for the lychee-scented bottles. On a heavy, roasted imo the flowers simply disappear.
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Show the other 150 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, aged
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, umami
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
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, 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, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
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, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
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, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato
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
Mugi shochu
The bottle already smells of cherry, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
Show the other 16 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
barley, rice, umami
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, smooth, dry
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, silky, smooth
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
tea, umami, savory, rich
smooth, rich, aged
roasted grain, umami, smooth
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
Show the other 4 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
Blossom on blossom
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Soba shochu
The nutty base will swallow a delicate flower unless the drink is otherwise very plain.
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
buckwheat, smooth
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
buckwheat, soft
Show the other 2 sakura (cherry blossom) matches
Kokuto shochu
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Cherry blossom is the first thing a rough bottle destroys, and this one has no rough edge to do it with
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Salt-pickled blossoms in a rice drink is a Japanese spring