In the bottle: Strong with sake notes this one is, this bottle of Shichida is has a nice fruity nose, a bit on the sweet and heavy side, but still very enjoyable. At the start you get some syrupy fruits (apricots, peaches and lychee) along with a velvety chocolate that really brings things together and gives this a bit of a dessert drink feeling. As with a lot of sake kasu shochu, you end up with an intense sake in the form of something you can sip slowly on the rocks, the nose on this certainly gets you ready for what is in the glass.

On the rocks: Thick and rich to start, overall, Shichida has a really nice mouthfeel which does a great job of carrying the more intense sake notes throughout the entire experience. The main flavors that come through are velvety chocolate and dried fruits (mostly apricots and dates), both of which hold up well as the ice melts. The finish here is also pretty good, you get a bit of sweetness that ebbs and flows between chocolate and dark chocolate, before fading into a general sweetness.  

Straight: Super smooth and really chocolatey; that first sip is velvety richness that is carried by a warm sweetness that really coats the mouth. Drinking this at room temperature makes me feel that this would be really good chilled in the refrigerator as on the rocks a bit more of the fruity notes really come to the surface and at least during this tasting are not really found. Sadly, the bottle is almost empty so not much chance to try this chilled. 

Paired with Chocolate: Tony's chocolonely 70% dark chocolate plus Shichida, is the pairing made in heaven, if you are a chocolate lover. Intensely rich chocolate, along with a nutty finish that reminds me of dark chocolate and almonds or maybe a bit like hazelnuts, either way this is absolutely smashing.