Memorandum
First time tasting Kanagawa Prefecture's sake, Zanso Hourai
Refreshing fruity aroma and slight effervescence
Heavy flavor and refreshing acidity
Low alcohol content, but very drinkable
Yamagata Prefecture Izuwasanzan
Polishing ratio 60
May 2025
Alcohol content 14.0
Sake meter degree -8.0
Acidity 2.0
☆☆☆☆
(Log)
Zanko Hourai Junmai Ginjyo Ooringo Kudasai🍎 Tankoba Direct-finishing Nama-shu R5BY
I saw an affluge, so I said, "That's the one", but the store owner said, "That's not for the first cup", and recommended it to me. I like Zanso Hourai, so how can I not like it when it has apple🍎! Good recommendation😊.
Location: "Wakamatsu", Naha City, Okinawa, Japan
Za "lu" sohourai! (as usual)
So, please give me oringo!
Actually, this was the first time I heard about Zanso Hourai...
Anyway, Kuroshiba is cute!
Oh... apple feeling indeed!
From the sweetness, there is an acidity with a bitter taste, and it finishes dry... It is quite a profound taste!
While most apple-based wines have a light sweet and sour taste, this one has a robust, dark apple flavor, almost like a wine in a sense!
It tastes very caramelized when you drink it.
It may be a bit tiring to drink... but this is quite interesting... it is delicious!
Purchased on 2025.04.30
I'm having a hard time finding Zanso Hourai's standard dry Junmai, when is it released every year? Aside from that, I was finally able to buy Mochizuki Shoten PB!
It is probably not very sweet by design to begin with. But the umami is quite robust, and although it is very drinkable, combined with the alcohol, it is easy to drink at a light 13 degrees Celsius.
It is between medium and dry, and its acidity makes it even fruity, so it has a white wine-like flavor.
Among the recent wines I have had, Takezumi's tank-kuchi naojume is very similar! The other two I have had so far are the 2022 Matsunotoshi Omachi Unfiltered Unrefined Nama-shu and the 2022 Shoryu Horai Kimoto Omachi Tank-guchi Naojime, which also seems to be very similar.
Banana, melon, rummy aroma, strong umami and acidity, weak sweetness and standing aroma...I like this kind of sake...in the end! LOL!
I don't remember much because I drank it all up so fast and after finishing it, I regret why I didn't warm it up... It must have been delicious because it's not a glamorous umami type sake... I'll save it for the next time I drink it...! I will save it for the next time I drink it!
It is very light with an alcohol content of 12%. Yet, it still has a good umami flavor. The acidity is pleasant.
Fresh and juicy.
If you are not careful, you might finish the entire bottle.
The aroma is gorgeous with a hint of refreshing acidity.
The mouthfeel is cool and has a slightly sweet aroma that passes through the nose. It is mellow and dry. In a good sense, you do not feel any glucose. It is floral, yet has this sharpness. I personally like it very much if the wild taste of nama-zake is calmed down. There is a bitter taste peculiar to nama-shu. The sharpness of the aftertaste due to the bitter acidity is characteristic.
It matches well with the smell of seafood from fish sashimi.
Please try it.
I got the low-alcohol pink label for a drink outside and enjoyed it, so after some hesitation, I bought the red one, which I had never had before.
The aroma is sour, grapefruit, and rummy. It sounds modern when I write it down, but the aroma itself is a bit more classic.
When you drink it, it is chili on the tongue. There is a citrusy acidity, but also a hint of rice sweetness. The final taste is clean and refreshing.
The taste is somewhere between modern and classic.
As the day goes by, I think the sharpness becomes a little dull and bitterness comes out at the end. I think I prefer to drink it early!
I enjoyed it with various snacks.