In the bottle: Surprisingly neutral at first, with just a hint of sweet potato, mature vanilla, and something that reminds me a bit of herbal schnapps. After getting a bit of oxygen in, Tamashi no Imo opens up quite nicely with a bit of toasted cereal grain and a nice freshness that reminds me of fresh broken branches. This really balances everything out in all the right ways. Overall, while not super impactful, what is here comes across beautifully and builds great anticipation for what will be in the glass.

On the rocks: The ice really brings out the sweetness. The first sip was warm with the sweet potato slightly heavy, with Tamashi no Imo feeling a bit more like a roasted sweet potato shōchū with an herby finish. Additionally, a lot of what was on the nose comes to the surface quickly as the mature vanilla and toasted cereal grain meld perfectly with the sweet potato, giving a nice balance and drinkability. As the ice melts a bit more, the herby finish starts to mellow and become a bit like wintergreen Lifesavers—not super heavy but just enough to let you know it’s there. 

Straight: Warm, with a super smooth sweetness that carries some vanilla, cereal grains, fresh sweet potato, and a bit of black tea bitterness. The back end has a bit of the herby note that was there on the nose, just a bit more intensely, and carries over well on the finish which reminds me a bit of wintergreen Lifesavers—strangely not the first time I’ve found something like this. The 36% ABV does a great job of carrying everything through to the finish as Tamashi no Imo ebbs and flows between sweet vapors and herby bitterness.

Paired with Chocolate: Malaysian single origin dark chocolate. Pure dessert awesomeness. At first the shōchū is a bit overpowering but very quickly the two meld together into something magical. The cacao expands tremendously and takes on a bit of a cherry liqueur and dark chocolate ganache with a hint of vanilla on the finish. Absolutely excellent pairing.