It is almost time for the Niigata Sake Money Mastery Test.
I need to practice sake tasting.
Last time, I was so caught up in the atmosphere, the tension, and the rush of time that I couldn't taste the sake at all. Now that I know the atmosphere, I should be able to understand the taste if I get the know-how and tips and calm down!
I will buy sake for tasting and practice at home.
First, here is Echigo Toji Honjozo Dry Taste.
It has a sweet, woody aroma.
Mellow mouthfeel,
Slightly sweet and astringent,
The taste of rich rice with a crisp dry taste,
It is delicious.
The aroma spreads softly when warmed to lukewarm,
The aroma is soft and pleasant, the acidity is mild, and the flavor is soft and robust,
Great lukewarm.
National Heated Sake Contest 2024
Winner of the gold medal in the value-priced lukewarm category.
It's delicious.
=== Ingredients
Ingredients: rice (domestic), rice malt (domestic), brewers' alcohol
Rice: Gohyakumangoku, Koshibuki
Rice polishing ratio: 60
Alcohol content: 15-16%.
1,034 yen per 720ml
=== The price
★★★☆☆☆☆
Probably colorless and transparent.
When you put it in your mouth, you can feel the alcohol spreading.
It is a bit like the sake, and I don't like it.
But the aftertaste is a little refreshing.
Rating: ✭✭✩✩✩✩✩
It feels light and refreshing for a moment, but then it hits you hard right after. It is quite sweet when drunk on its own, but when paired with a meal, it feels very spicy 😳.
Well, even by itself, the spiciness comes through in the latter half of the bottle 😅.
It has a sweetness like honey or sugar candy.
I think the Sandesi watered down raw sake I bought at Harukas was easier to drink 🤔.
It's easier to drink if you take it out of the fridge and let it sit for a bit 😋.
I think I prefer Sandesi's raw sake in total because it's watered down and has more flavor.
Niigata Prefecture. Gosen City. Kinshi-Haii Brewery Co.
Echigo Toji Special Honjozo
It is really cold today.
The strongest cold wave has arrived, so it's not so cold that it snows, but it's cold in Osaka, too 🥶.
I kept this sake at room temperature to warm up on a night like this.
I kept it at room temperature and had it heated.
The first aroma is a soft alcoholic aroma.
The color is clear and transparent with almost no yellow tint.
On the palate, a light sourness is felt on the tongue, which spreads gradually.
The taste is a mild sourness and mild umami from the rice, with a mildly spicy aftertaste. Although there is a little bit of a kick to the sake, it is also mild and not harsh.
In my opinion, it is best when warmed to lukewarm, which brings out the full mildness and mellowness of the umami. The aroma on the nose spreads a sourness, and the alu aroma lingers. The acidity and slight bitterness also become a little more perceptible.
There is a slight classicality and mildness, so it feels dusty.
Ingredients: rice (domestic), rice malt (domestic), brewers' alcohol
Rice polishing ratio: 58
Alcohol content: 15 to 16 degrees Celsius
Niigata Prefecture. Gosen City. Kinshi-Haii Brewery Co.
Echigo Toji Honjozo Dry
At the Niigata Sake-no-jin OSAKA, they were sold out of the 4-goule bottle of "Echigo Toji Honjozo Dry", but I bought this 3-goule bottle because it has the same contents as this 3-goule bottle.
It seems to have won a gold medal in a warming contest for five consecutive years.
I will drink it cold.
The first aroma is of alcohol.
The color is clear and colorless.
The mouthfeel is smooth and light.
The taste has a caramel-like savory sweetness with the richness of rice.
It is a classic standard sake with an alcoholic aroma that spreads quickly through the nose, and has a wonderful aftertaste.
It has a mellow, mellow, and deliciously dry taste with a hint of sweetness.
Ingredients: rice (domestic), rice malt (domestic), brewers' alcohol
Rice polishing ratio: 65
Alcohol content: 15.5