In the bottle: After first Nomiyoshi is very neutral, almost like nothing is there; however, after a little oxygen gets in there you can find some very light grain notes as well as a soft earthiness that is a little like the underside of moss. There is also something in there that reminds a bit of black tea with a splash of sweet vanilla. This is the first mountain potato shochu I have ever had so a bit surprised at the range of flavors observed so far. 

On the rocks: Interestingly smooth, with a subtle sharpness that reminds me of a decent vodka that is more flavor than burn. Since this is a mountain potato and not a typical sweet potato there is certainly less sweetness up front; however, there are some really nice sweet notes that follow through on the finish, which I guess are most likely coming from the koji. Additionally, the finish lingers for a while and ebbs and flows between grain and toasted rice with a range of sweetness between the two. In the glass, the gold flakes look nice but of course do not add anything to the flavor profile.​

Straight: Nomiyoshi is very smooth neat in the glass, at first there is an almost pineapple flavor on the front end, not the sweet or sour part but a bit like the core. Once this passes a bit you end up with a bit more grain and some toasted rice on the finish, additionally there are some short bursts of sweetness that give this a bit more of a sweet potato shochu flavor, overall this works on a number of different levels and is worth giving a shot if you happen across a bottle.