In the bottle: Well balanced and initially a bit on the neutral side; however, as it opens up a little you can catch some beautifully soft and subtle sweet potato notes, which often reminds me of toasted rice, absolutely amazing. If you really get in there and nose it, you can find some of the sweeter notes like caramel, cocoa and a little vanilla which balance everything out really nicely. 

On the rocks: The balance between bright and sharp, sweet and fresh is so perfect and refined. As the first drop hits your tongue, you get a wash of pure sweet potato which then fades into these really nice caramel, cocoa and vanilla notes, with the cocoa really taking hold on the finish. That bitterness really counterbalances nicely with the initial sweetness of candied vanilla which gives Mori Izo a good range of depth and complexity which leaves you wanting another glass and most likely another glass after that.

Straight: The sweetness is so much more pronounced here along with cocoa and a bit of black sugar that has some vanilla and a touch of caramel in it;  overall an excellent way to enjoy this shochu. 

Paired with Chocolate: The chocolate is a milk chocolate from Kakdi, nothing special. Mori Izo pairs really well, with the vanilla really jumping off the page, almost reminds me of a vanilla milkshake, surprisingly the freshness of the shochu tames down some of the sweetness of the chocolate which makes for a really great experience.