Raise your hands if you've ever fallen victim to the delicious wafting aromas of freshly roasted sweet potatoes that are often placed strategically right outside the entrance to Don Don Donki outlets. Only to find yourself involuntarily lured to take a step closer, until before you know it you're knee deep between the many aisles inside Japan's famous discount goods megastore - clutching a sweet potato in one hand and a basket full of items you didn't even know you wanted in the other. 

Ah yes, yet another excellent example of sensorial marketing done way too well. In the same way that Cinnabon placed their ovens in the front of their outlets in the hopes of luring passerbys with the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls, Don Don Donki's famous roasted sweet potato booth has become a beacon call beckoning curious shoppers to enter the store. 

The ever-tempting Sweet Potato booth at Don Don Donki. (Image source: 8 Days)

Granted, their sweet potatoes are truly that good. Roasted to perfection, with a crispy outer skin covering soft sweet potato flesh that's almost syrupy sweet - it's no wonder that Don Don Donki's sweet potatos have gained a cult following. 

Hence, it should come as no surprise that the Japan megastore decided to indulge everyone's sweet potato obsession one step further with the launch of Don Don Donki's very own Sweet Potato Liqueur and Sweet Potato Gummies. 

The bottle caught my eye while I was scrolling through the Don Don Donki aisles (a regular past time of mine) because of the cute label - which features the famous penguin mascot Don Pen brandishing a roasted sweet potato in hand! As the label suggests, this liqueur can be drank on its own, but also poured over ice cream! 

Let's give it a try! 

Don Don Donki Roasted Sweet Potato Liqueur | ドンキの焼き芋のお酒 - Tasting Notes

Colour and Appearance: Cloudy pale yellow, with a thick almost-puree like consistency.

Aroma: Earthy scents of freshly roasted sweet potato, with sweet notes of melted brown sugar and jasmine rice.  

Taste: The texture of this liqueur is thick and creamy. There's an earthy sweetness of sweet potato and creme bruleed brown sugar, as well as a nutty undertone of almond cream, rice pudding and banana starch. 

Finish: Short, with notes of sweet potato, vanilla cream and almond marzipan. 

Overall Thoughts: 

It's a little bit too sweet at times, and due to the syrupy flavour and the thick, puree-like consistency, this is probably a liqueur that is savoured a small glass at a time - lest it becomes too cloying and overwhelming. 

That said, I liked that it retained some strong earthy, nutty flavours of the sweet potato and it was quite a unique liqueur that reminds me of the Sweet Potato Creme Brulee dessert. I still think its worth adding to your collection and letting friends that come over try it - since it's such a distinctive taste that you're unlikely to find in other liqueurs. 

Oh, and as for the gummies: it was actually less sweet than the liqueur I found, which I preferred! It had a subtle earthy sweet potato flavour and light accents of almonds and brown sugar to balance it out - though there was a slight starchiness to it that made it taste a little dense for continuous snacking.  

The next time you're in Don Don Donki, do check out these sweet potato products for yourself and let me know what you think! 

Happy sipping! 

@lotusroot518