In the bottle: Right from the crack of the bottle you get an intense wave of big cherry, dried fruit and chocolate notes that pour from the bottle and really give you an idea of what you can expect in the glass. Banryoku certainly starts out rich and decadent; which is really inviting on this cold winter night after a nice warming dinner. As this develops a bit with some oxygen the chocolate fragrance really steps forward (which could be influence by the piece of chocolate waiting to be enjoyed with this shochu.)  

On the rocks: Surprisingly not as heavy as I expected, there is a nice bit of freshness that holds on the first sip before the deeper flavors settle in. Just like the nose, you get the cherry and dried fruits; however, in the glass Banryoku is more cocoa forward which gives this a nice little bit of bitterness that balances out the sweeter notes. As the ice melts, the sharper flavors mellow out and what you are left with is a cherry coke without the coke, if that makes sense, actually thinking a bit more, this has a bit of a Dr Pepper vibe or a cherry DP, overall really enjoyable.

Straight: Beautifully smooth, with everything right out in front and perfectly balanced, Banryoku works really well neat in the glass, especially at the end of a long day.

Paired with Chocolate: Paired with a 70% cocoa chocolate from Kaldi, this is another one of those matches made in heaven, the chocolate becomes so smooth with the cocoa becoming much more intensified. Another rice shochu that would make a perfect dessert pairing.