Shochu that goes with star anise
Spice and warmth
These are bottles to mix star anise into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
One star, steeped, for the dark bottles.
Best bottles for star anise
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Warm spice meets the brown-sugar aroma the distillate keeps. The sugar itself is gone, so sweeten separately if the drink needs it.
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, aged
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, aged
kokuto, aged
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, aged
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, 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.
Awamori
Spice reads as native on this base rather than imported, star anise and chilli and ginger most of all.
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
Show the other 102 star anise matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, cask, aged
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, citrus, cereal, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, aged
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
caramel, smoky, rich, earthy
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Imo shochu
Warm spice gives an earthy bottle a pulse without covering the earth itself.
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
Show the other 150 star anise matches
sweet potato, tropical fruit, bright, aged
sweet potato, smooth, aged
sweet potato, milky, soft, aged
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, umami, soft, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, rich, soft, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, nutty, umami
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, tea, rich
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, vanilla, creamy texture, bright
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, rich, crisp, soft
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
Anise bullies perfume
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
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, 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, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, funky
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, 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, smooth, sweet, vanilla
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, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
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.
kokuto, cask, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Show the other 21 star anise matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
Mugi shochu
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
Show the other 34 star anise matches
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, dry, cask, aged
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
Kome shochu
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
Show the other 23 star anise matches
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, cask, aged
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet
smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, honey, vanilla
Show the other 3 star anise matches
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
Soba shochu
Anise and aged notes are a winter cabinet