Hori
Koei Kiku's first Koei Kiku in a while is Harusion, released in early summer.
It has a fresh, fruity aroma of white grapes and lychee, and the taste is clean and straightforward, with no cloying. The sweetness, acidity, astringency, and bitterness, along with the woody nuances typical of Kouei Chrysanthemum, made this a wonderful sake, just as expected. This was the first time I recognized the lychee aroma often heard as an expression of sake.
Harujion is made from Shunyo, a low-protein, low-gluten edible rice. I was curious about this because Echino Katora used it in early spring.
Low-protein rice sake contains a lot of the aroma component 4MMP, which is said to give it a white grape or lychee-like aroma. When I heard that it is also contained in Sauvignon Blanc and beer hops, it hit me. Pokka Sapporo's Green Shower, which I have been drinking for about 10 years and have recently been keeping a box of as a harmony water, has a very similar nuance. It is a carbonated water with the aroma of Furano hops, but from the first time I drank it, I was wondering why it had the aroma of white grapes and lychee. Now the dots have become lines.
No wonder craft SAKE using hops is so popular.
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