Shochu that goes with vanilla
Spice and warmth
These are bottles to mix vanilla into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
A split bean in a syrup, or a good extract, in small amounts.
Best bottles for vanilla
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, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
Chestnut has almost no acid and vanilla has none either, so this is two soft things agreeing
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
kokuto, rich
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
Banana and vanilla
barley, citrus, melon, banana
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.
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, vanilla, spice, cask
kokuto, smooth, smoky, cask
kokuto, smooth, cask, aged
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Show the other 21 vanilla matches
dried fruit, chocolate, honey, kokuto
kokuto, chocolate, nutty, sweet
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, tropical fruit, vanilla, sweet
kokuto, soft, light-bodied, sweet
kokuto, rum-like, chocolate
kokuto, sweet, clean, rich
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
Awamori
Spice reads as native on this base rather than imported, star anise and chilli and ginger most of all.
The bottle already smells of vanilla, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, citrus, vanilla, chocolate
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, citrus, tropical fruit, vanilla
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
Show the other 97 vanilla matches
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
There is enough weight here to stand up to a bitter or a spice without disappearing under it.
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
rice, pear, caramel, rich
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, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, roasted grain, aged
rice, citrus, roasted grain, sweet
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, sweet, rich, full-bodied
rice, nutty, dry, aged
A split bean in a syrup, or a good extract, in small amounts.
floral, clean, sharp, aged
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Imo shochu
Warm spice gives an earthy bottle a pulse without covering the earth itself.
Chestnut has almost no acid and vanilla has none either, so this is two soft things agreeing
Banana and vanilla
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
Vanilla weighs down a crisp bottle
lychee, grape, jasmine, rich
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, umami, silky
Show the other 117 vanilla matches
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, floral, full-bodied
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, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, spice, clean, sharp
sweet potato, umami, rich
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, fruity, earthy, mineral
sweet potato, umami, soft, clean
sweet potato, fruity, umami, rich
sweet potato, lychee, floral, fruity
The bottle already smells of vanilla, and this puts more of it in the glass.
sweet potato, rich, purple sweet potato
sweet potato, whisky-like, aged
sweet potato, tea, vanilla, mushroom
sweet potato, umami, rich, aged
sweet potato, clean, aged
sweet potato, lychee, chocolate, bright
sweet potato, soft, smooth, rich
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, sherry-like, cask
sweet potato, floral, fruity, umami
sweet potato, chocolate, sherry-like, cask
muscat, citrus, floral, sweet potato
citrus, pear, sweet potato, clean
sweet potato, pineapple, tropical fruit, fruity
sweet potato, soft, tea
sweet potato, light-bodied, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, grape, muscat
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, fruity, soft
sweet potato, umami
sweet potato, soft, dry, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, toast
sweet potato, rich, smooth, umami
sweet potato, smooth, umami, light-bodied
sweet potato, earthy
sweet potato, coffee, earthy, pepper
sweet potato, light-bodied, dry, aged
sweet potato, fruity
sweet potato, smooth, fruity, bright
sweet potato, pear, grassy, light-bodied
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth, sweet, vanilla
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, bright
sweet potato, smooth
sweet potato, light-bodied, clean, dry
sweet potato, smoky, rich, long finish
sweet potato, lychee, white peach, tropical fruit
sweet potato, melon, banana, sweet
This bottle already reads sweet, on aroma rather than on sugar. Adding real sugar to it is the most common way a drink built on it goes wrong.
sweet potato, umami, rich, sweet
sweet potato, pineapple, maple, mineral
sweet potato, rich, clean, sweet
sweet potato, citrus, floral, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, umami, sweet, rich
sweet potato, fruity, silky, smooth
sweet potato, apple, soft, rich
sweet potato, soft, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, rich, light-bodied
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, shiso, smooth, tea
sweet potato, umami, smooth
sweet potato, smooth, rich, sweet
sweet potato, rich, sweet
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, rich, clean
sweet potato, smooth, clean, aged
sweet potato, smooth, sweet
sweet potato, sweet, smooth, aged
sweet potato, yogurt, creamy texture
sweet potato, soft, light-bodied, sweet
sweet potato, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, citrus, floral, caramel
sweet potato, rich, soft, 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, sweet, soft, rich
sweet potato, tropical fruit, floral, caramel
sweet potato, roasted sweet potato, aged
sweet potato, sweet, rich, full-bodied
sweet potato, tropical fruit, pepper, sweet
Kome shochu
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
rice, vanilla, smooth, cask
rice, vanilla, smooth, sweet
rice, vanilla, cask, aged
rice, soft, umami, rich
Show the other 16 vanilla matches
rice, smooth, aged, cask
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
The bottle already smells of vanilla, and this puts more of it in the glass.
rice, melon, vanilla, toast
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, light-bodied, cask
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, soft, rich, aged
rice, citrus, dried fruit, floral
rice, smooth, rich
rice, soft, smoky, creamy texture
Mugi shochu
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
Show the other 18 vanilla matches
The bottle already smells of vanilla, and this puts more of it in the glass.
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, smoky, soft, cask
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, banana, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, cask, aged
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, cask, aged
barley, banana, berry, bread
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
Kasutori, chestnut and other bases
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent
Chestnut has almost no acid and vanilla has none either, so this is two soft things agreeing
smooth, rich, full-bodied, sweet
Show the other 4 vanilla matches
chestnut, floral, roasted grain, sweet
Soba shochu
The bottle already smells of vanilla, and this puts more of it in the glass.
Vanilla is what oak gives; more of it is coherent