In the bottle: Gorojima Kintoki is incredibly neutral, if you nose it hard enough you can catch a really fresh fragrance like just cut sweet potatoes. However, other than that, if does not feel like there is much really going on here. After opening the bottle and leaving it for a bit, after opening the cap, you get a much stronger potato nose, seems this just needed a bit of oxygen to open up.

On the rocks: Really delicious, I had my concerns with the very soft nose, but on-the-rocks you can get an immediate sense that there is a lot more going on here. The sweet potatoes take center stage here with a smooth balance between sweet and earthy, accompanied by a nice sharpness which ties this all together. Also, you can find subtle vanilla and black pepper notes hiding in the finish which makes Gorojima Kintoki something to enjoy slowly. As the ice melts this opens up even more, especially on the sweet potato side. There is a really nice depth here as you get a bigger, brighter range of flavors that are a bit greener and less earthy, overall this has been a good pick up.   

Straight: So smooth and easy to drink, on the the front end you get a very nice vanilla that spreads into a luscious sweet potato that just washes over everything so nicely. Once you get to the finish you are treated with a nice peppery finish that spikes up before fading into some beautifully soft sweet notes that linger nicely as you enjoy this well crafted shochu.