Hori
The bottle for New Year's Day 2026 is a Junmai Daiginjyo Kinmon-nishiki, a.k.a. "Kingame" from Shinshu Kamerei.
I had not been able to open the bottle because it was one of the bottles I had purchased on a memorable trip to Nagano Prefecture in mid-summer, but the name and label were auspicious, so I opened the bottle just in time.
When I poured it into a glass, the aroma was more gorgeous than the usual Junmai Ginjo series.
When I drank it, I found it to be elegant and gorgeous, with a fruity and sweet taste, while maintaining the transparency typical of Shinshu Kamerei.
Junmai Ginjo Kinmon-Nishiki, which is made from the same sake rice, also has an accentuated sweetness, but it has a richer atmosphere that takes it to the next level.
The fact that the sake is still fresh even though it has been fire-aged for 10 months is a testament to the high quality of the brewing and fire-aging techniques. The sub-zero storage at Lemacombe may have also been a good thing.
I am looking forward to drinking Hexagon, which is also stored in Lemakom.
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