In the bottle: Really just reminds me of a cedar closet with hints of sake, which in this case is a very nice match. Once this has a chance to open up a bit, the cedar moves to the back and you can find some nice typical sake notes which are mostly fruity with a bit of peach, lychee and soft vanilla. Overall Sugi no Sei is quite mellow with nothing that stands out too tall, and that is absolutely OK as this really works as the sum of its parts to give this bottle something to get excited for. 

On the rocks: Super smooth and really feels like drinking sake in a cedar room, the sake notes come through nice as strong with the fruitier side being the most prevalent before giving way to soft and subtle chocolate vibe that is really nice. Almost everything else you would expect is here as well, including a bit of vanilla and licorice that blend together quite peacefully. The cedar stays present at all stages and really adds a beautiful bit of complexity, especially as this is not a flavor that would ever really imagine as one to enjoy in a kasutori shochu. Overall, this is one of the better barrel aged shochu I have tried recently and certainly if I ever saw something aged in cedar I would not avoid it

Straight: Very velvety and full of sake notes such as licorice, peach, lychee and that subtle vanilla shows up a bit toward the end which seems to tie everything together until you get hit with a woody dryness from the cedar and that is when everything finally comes together in one really interesting combination.

Paired with Chocolate: Tonny's 70% dark chocolate, another absolutely perfect pairing, Sugi no Sei expands the chocolate and adds a massive bit of cherry dark chocolate and a bit of nuttyness, comes across like chocolate covered almonds. This was so good, I immediately went back for more, quite possibly the best pairing I have ever tried.