Shochu that goes with thyme
Herbs
These are bottles to mix thyme into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Gentler than rosemary. Steep a sprig, or use a thyme syrup.
Best bottles for thyme
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
Thyme and honey is an old pair
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
rice, floral, honey, caramel
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
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.
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.
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
Thyme and honey is an old pair
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, clean, off-dry, smooth
Show the other 94 thyme matches
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, earthy, mineral, pepper
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, roasted grain
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, chocolate, coffee, rich
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
Kokuto shochu
Amami's molasses aroma is already in the bottle, so a green herb has something to sit against.
Thyme and honey is an old pair
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Show the other 21 thyme matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
Imo shochu
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
sweet potato, floral, fruity, clean
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
Show the other 10 thyme matches
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, smooth
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, floral, soft, maple
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
Thyme and honey is an old pair
sweet potato, white peach, grape, berry
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
Kome shochu
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
rice, ginjo-like, floral, aged
rice, floral, fruity, smooth
Show the other 4 thyme matches
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, citrus, apple, pineapple
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.
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match
rice, citrus, crisp
Gentler than rosemary. Steep a sprig, or use a thyme syrup.
Show the other 4 thyme matches
coffee, chocolate, brown sugar, rice
Awamori
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
Show the other 2 thyme matches
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Thyme, lemon and a spirit is a sour with a garden in it
Thyme and honey is an old pair
The bottle is already floral, and this puts more of that in the glass.
floral, fruity, sweet, plum
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
citrus, plum, sweet, yuzu
Show the other 2 thyme matches
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match
Korui, the continuous-still shochu
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match
Thyme and honey is an old pair
Soba shochu
Barley shochu and thyme is an unexpected, clean match