In the bottle: Well balanced and initially a bit on the neutral side; however, as this opens up a little you can catch some beautifully soft and subtle sweet potato notes, that are backed by a beautiful toasted rice that is absolutely amazing. If you really get in there and nose it, you can find some of the sweeter notes like caramel, cacao and a little vanilla which balance everything out really nicely. Overall, the nose builds a strong amount of anticipation for what will be in the glass.

On the rocks: The balance between bright and sharp, sweet and fresh is so perfect and refined. As the first drop hits your tongue, you get a wash of pure sweet potato which then fades into these really nice caramel, cocoa and vanilla notes, with the cacao really taking hold on the finish. That bitterness really counterbalances nicely with the initial sweetness of candied vanilla which gives Mori Izo a good range of depth and complexity which leaves you wanting another glass and most likely another glass after that.

Straight: The first sip is so smooth with the sweetness is so much more pronounced than on-the-rocks, not dessert level sweet but certainly enough to take notice. Additionally, there is a cacao vibe that adds a perfect touch of sharpness to contrast the sweeter notes of black sugar, vanilla and a touch of caramel;  overall an excellent way to enjoy this shochu. 

Paired with Chocolate: The chocolate is a milk chocolate from Kakdi. Mori Izo pairs really well, with the vanilla really jumping off the page, almost reminds me of a vanilla milkshake, surprisingly the freshness of the shochu tames down some of the sweetness of the chocolate which makes for a really great experience.