In the bottle: Silky and smooth out of the bottle, notes of caramel, toasted rice, vanilla and a slight ume fragrance, no so much the actual plum part but the slightly sour part you get on the finish. There is also a bit of candied sweetness after it breaths a little, reminds me a bit of smarties. At 30% the alcohol is not heavy which is good since the other more fragrant notes get to really shine. 

On the rocks: Beautifully balanced, there is an initial hit of caramel, vanilla and some cream notes before the soft velvety sweetness comes in to coat the palate; finally as it fades, you get an even deeper hit of caramel mixed with some earthy, clay like flavors that really tie everything together. As the ice melts a little, Kikunotsuru becomes even smoother; however, some of the impact notes really fade out a bit, so better to enjoy it quickly. 

水割り Diluted with water

4:1, 3:2 ratio, While I did have the intention of trying this with a little water but it was so good on the rocks that I just kind of forgot.