Shochu that goes with sansho pepper
Spice and warmth
These are bottles to mix sansho pepper into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A pinch of ground sansho over the top, or a few peppercorns steeped. Numbing, citrusy, green.
Best bottles for sansho pepper
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, umami, soft
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, citrus
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
rice, citrus, 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
Spice reads as native on this base rather than imported, star anise and chilli and ginger most of all.
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Show the other 102 sansho pepper matches
Sansho and rice is a Kyoto kitchen
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, 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, caramel, chocolate, crisp
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, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, 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, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, clean, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
A pinch of ground sansho over the top, or a few peppercorns steeped. Numbing, citrusy, green.
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
Kokuto shochu
Warm spice meets the brown-sugar aroma the distillate keeps. The sugar itself is gone, so sweeten separately if the drink needs it.
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Show the other 21 sansho pepper matches
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Imo shochu
Warm spice gives an earthy bottle a pulse without covering the earth itself.
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
Show the other 155 sansho pepper matches
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
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, smooth, aged
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, umami, rich
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, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
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, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, banana, vanilla, clean
sweet potato, soft, crisp, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
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, berry, soft, sweet
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, roasted grain
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, sweet, clean, rich
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, roasted grain, sweet
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, crisp
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, crisp, sweet
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
Kome shochu
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
Sansho and rice is a Kyoto kitchen
Show the other 64 sansho pepper matches
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, floral, ginjo-like, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, umami, crisp, sweet
rice, floral, smooth, soft
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, cask
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, sweet, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, rich, bright
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, light-bodied, clean
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
citrus, bright, bitter, crisp
Mugi shochu
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
barley, citrus, melon, banana
Sansho and rice is a Kyoto kitchen
barley, rice, umami
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
Show the other 1 sansho pepper matches
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Sansho is citrus peel and pepper in one seed
citrus, plum, sweet, yuzu
Citrus is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
smooth, rich, cask, aged
Soba shochu
Sansho and rice is a Kyoto kitchen
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Sansho and rice is a Kyoto kitchen