In the bottle: Deep, rich and full of sweet potato goodness. Jinmu has a beautifully fragrant nose with a nice floral backdrop that is balanced nicely with some dried fruit (apricots) and what reminds me a bit of wild flower honey. At 35% alcohol, you would expect a little more punchyness, but overall, the alcohol really blends into the background, and what is there, carries what's on the nose really well; which in the end creates a lot anticipation for what is in the glass. 

On the rocks: Right from the first sip you are treated to a range of impact flavors, mostly leaning toward the floral side with lavender, and honeysuckle leading the way. The initial burst is followed by a really enjoyable, almost roasted sweet potato that fills in the void left by the sharper flavors. What is really interesting with Jinmu is the unique sweetness that follows the floral notes, especially after the ice melts a bit and this opens up to reveal some sweet grain, vanilla and a little bit of burnt toffee. Overall, this has been a solid pickup and worth the price paid.  

Straight: Based on the first sip alone, I would put this easily in my top 5 for potato shochu neat. You get everything over ice, just more intense. The floral notes come across with a heavy herbal intensity, almost more like a gin without the juniper which pairs perfectly with the soft sweetness from the potato. The finish is pure bliss, you get a blast of fresh sweet potato that flows between sharp and sweet along with a range of vanilla and chocolate that stays around for a while. 

Paired with Chocolate: Tonny:s milk chocolate with toffee, usually I use dark chocolate but in this case, the milk chocolate also works really nice as well. The shochu really boosts the cocoa level and in this case elevates this pairing to a higher level as the chocolate really takes center stage. While still quite sweet, there is a beautiful richness that gives this a great dessert vibe. Interesting, I do no taste any of the cherry notes I usually fine when pairing and the floral side seems to completely disappear. My guess is that the higher cocoa percentage must be a strong contributor and maybe the sweetness masks the sharper floral notes Overall, this a nice pairing and maybe I should give milk chocolate more of a chance.