In the bottle: Smooth, rich and delicious with a strong mature burnt caramel that pours out of the bottle like it has been waiting since 1983. The nose on Muromachi is really quite intoxicating, especially in how rich and complex this comes across before even having a chance to enjoy the first sip. Once you get around the burnt caramel, there is a really nice earthy funk that spreads out as you get a bit of oxygen in there giving a true sense of 42 years. Overall, absolutely amazing, no more typing, now time to enjoy. 

On the rocks: Absolutely amazing, the vanilla, custard and burnt caramel notes are complete off-the-charts. The way these flavors come pouring through with such intensity it is hard to imagine this bottle is 42 years old; however, where this does show its age is the maturity on these flavors, which is quite unlike anything I have had before, aside from another bottle of rice shochu that was more than 30-years old. Overall, Muromachi on the rocks is a great way to enjoy this unique bottle that has been waiting a long time to be enjoyed. 

Straight: Smooth and silky, Muromachi is very drinkable neat in the glass and really sips like an after dinner drink with its sweet caramel and custardy vanilla notes taking center stage and never letting up. The finish is really nice here as well as this sticks around for a while with the 35% alcohol doing a good job of carrying some beautiful earthiness along until the end.

Paired with dark chocolate: Tony's 70% dark chocolate, I knew even before I tried this that it would be amazing and Muromachi did not disappoint in the least. The chocolate is divine and the shochu adds a beautiful earthy vanilla that just expands everything beyond your expectations; it almost feels like this pairing unlocks something hidden inside both the chocolate and the shochu. Simply amazing.