In the bottle: Quite neutral at the start; however, after swirling this around a bit the sweeter notes start to open up with a bit of rice and what reminds me of unspiced pumpkin or freshly steamed squash. Additionally, there are some floral and vanilla that comes out a bit toward the end which adds a bit of complexity to Initanada. Overall, I was not really sure what to expect with a rice / pumpkin shochu, but this turned out pretty good and creates a good anticipation for what is in the glass. 

On the rocks: Really interesting right from the first sip; there is a soft rice shochu vibe that gets quickly overtaken by the pumpkin, which is just delicious. There is something in the pumpkin that reminds me a bit of shiso shochu, not some much the taste of shiso, but more how it carries in the mouth and how it leaves this herby finish that is light and refreshing. As the ice melts, the rice really fades to the background and the pumpkin takes full control, and while Initanada is not going to replace your favorite shochu, it certainly makes for a nice change of pace. 

Straight: Incredibly herby, reminds me a lot of some of the herbal schnapps I had while living in Germany. Also Initanada drinks so smooth neat in the glass and the finish really shines here as well as the rice and pumpkin come across beautifully as you get wave after wave of sweet rice and pumpkin. Overall, a great way to enjoy this unique shochu. 

Paired with Chocolate: Tony's chocolate 70%, as is usually the case, rice shochu and chocolate goes so well together; Initanada is another great example of this pairing. The chocolate is really intense and matches well with the pumpkin which gives this an herby - cacao vibe which lasts well into the finish. A great after dinner dessert pairing.