Hiokizakura R4BY Namaoto Junmai Sake
Rating 4.5-4.6, rice polishing ratio 70%, no yeast added, alcohol content 15.0-15.9%, sake degree 10.5, acidity 2.7, R4BY, production date September 2025
Junmai-shu brewed using the traditional "nama-moto-zukuri" technique, which has been handed down since ancient times. The rice used for this sake is "Goriki," a Tottori sake rice that was once almost lost to history. The natural yeast that lives at the Yamane Sake Brewery gives the sake a simple, yet deeply savory and unique flavor. Warm up the complex flavor of the wild fungus.
Set the temperature at 62℃. A perfect balance of sweetness, umami, and acidity. The acidity is not too strong.
It is a distinctive sake!
First of all, it is dry.
The sake level was +13.0.
It has a strong taste of rice, but also has a sharpness.
The yellow color is probably the answer to the fact that the label says "˜No filtration process' rather than that it has been aged.
It has a good flavor.
I like the attention to detail.
I heard that sake from Tottori Prefecture is often drunk warmed, and I think this sake will have a different flavor when heated.
The color is a yellowish golden yellow.
The aroma appeals to me to warm it up. Black tea, iso, banana, big white flowers, mushrooms.
Sourness and astringency, texture smooth but with a squeaky clean finish. The layers of flavors are pleasant, but it's not enough to say it's delicious as it is! I can't honestly say that it is delicious as it is. Anyway, I had to heat it up to get it going.
So we warmed it up.
This is it.
It has a depth and umami that I can't describe in one word. The sweetness and acidity are relaxed. The astringency and bitterness also accentuate the depth of flavor.
It is not a simple taste, but it is definitely delicious. It is a wonderful sake that will soak into your body.
I couldn't wait to open the bottle after buying several bottles of a densely packed sake on a trip to the San-in region. It has an amber or slightly yellowish color, and the nutty and pickled ginger-like aroma gives it a sense of maturity.
The taste is a strong mix of sourness, umami, bitterness, and astringency when cold, but it mellows out when heated and is delicious. As the reputation goes, this is the kind of sake that "comes to life when it is heated up.
Sake in this direction is also enjoyable.
Postscript
As the store staff told me, if you let some time pass after opening the bottle, the aroma and taste will become rounder and more drinkable and delicious. It is the exact opposite of a fresh sake, and gives a sense of the breadth of sake.