Shochu that goes with toasted sesame
Savory and salt
These are bottles to mix toasted sesame into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A sesame syrup, or a rim of ground sesame and salt. Toasty and rich.
Best bottles for toasted sesame
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Sesame shochu exists; sesame on it is coherent
Nut on nut
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
Toasted sesame and roasted barley are one flavor
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
buckwheat, smooth
buckwheat, soft
buckwheat, barley, rice
buckwheat
buckwheat, sweet
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
Dashi-wari and an umeboshi in hot barley shochu are real izakaya orders, but they belong to a winter counter rather than a summer glass.
Sesame shochu exists; sesame on it is coherent
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
Toasted sesame and roasted barley are one flavor
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Show the other 93 toasted sesame matches
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, crisp, clean
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, soft, sweet
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, citrus, melon, white peach
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, roasted grain
barley, citrus, melon, banana
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, dry, cask, aged
A sesame syrup, or a rim of ground sesame and salt. Toasty and rich.
barley, bright, clean, light-bodied
barley, umami, savory, clean
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, soft, bright
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
Soba shochu
Buckwheat is a savoury grain, and a soba restaurant already serves this spirit next to dashi.
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
buckwheat, barley, rice
Show the other 4 toasted sesame matches
buckwheat, cask, aged
buckwheat, umami
buckwheat, nutty, earthy, vanilla
Imo shochu
An earthy bottle has a savoury side already, and these meet it rather than trying to sweeten it away.
sweet potato, purple sweet potato, berry, yogurt
vanilla, cask, rich, crisp
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
Show the other 143 toasted sesame matches
sweet potato, crisp, bitter
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, clean, soft
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
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, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, soft, sweet
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, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, soft, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, aged
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, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, soft
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, spice, sweet
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, sweet
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, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, fruity, mint
sweet potato, whisky-like, cask
sweet potato, funky
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
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, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, sweet, clean, fruity
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, soft, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, pear, grassy, rich
sweet potato, earthy, crisp, aged
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, smooth, sweet, vanilla
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, smooth, soft, clean
sweet potato, full-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, soft, smooth, aged
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, vanilla, toast, spice
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, long finish
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, tropical fruit, spice, light-bodied
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, sweet
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
Kokuto shochu
Sesame and brown sugar is a wagashi
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
Show the other 21 toasted sesame matches
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, cask, aged
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
Kome shochu
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
rice, vanilla, smooth, fruity
Show the other 10 toasted sesame matches
rice, citrus, silky, light-bodied
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, steamed rice, citrus, pineapple
rice, pear, jasmine, light-bodied
rice, smooth, light-bodied, sweet
rice, light-bodied, clean
Awamori
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Shiso, sesame, yuzu and other flavoured shochu
Sesame is in this bottle, not just on its nose, so this doubles it rather than introducing it.