In the bottle: Initially, the alcohol is quite sharp on the nose (especially if you really go for it). Once you get past that, a really nice cherry cola note appears, followed by a bit of Polar cream soda. The combination is quite nice and puts Tenryo a little on the sweeter side. It really makes me want to try some cream soda as a mixer (blasphemy, I know). Overall, the nose is clean, inviting, and full of nostalgic soda-like charm.

On the rocks: The first notes are cream soda and cherry cola (without the fizz). Tenryo then transitions into more typical rice shōchū flavors of toasted rice and light caramel. There’s a bit of ethanol at the tail end before fading into a really nice finish that brings back the fruit and cream, reminding me of those crème Lifesavers or similar hard candy. Overall, Tenryo drinks really smooth—even with the fruity/creamy notes, it’s not overly sweet, letting you easily enjoy more than one glass. 

水割り Diluted with water

4:1 ratio: While this holds up reasonably well with some water, the intensity of the initial flavors fades quite quickly. It remains nice to drink, but I really prefer this on the rocks—the soda-like fruitiness and toasted rice shine best with just ice to soften things gently.