Hori
We opened a bottle of Kouei Kiku's Ikubou.
Named for the moon in its nearly full state, this sake is brewed with natural yeast using "Kitashizuku" rice produced in Hokkaido, and is released in the fall after the vat is topped up in April, bottled, and stored in ice temperatures.
The term "natural lactobacillus brewing" is an original name given by Mr. Yamamoto, the toji of Koeikiku, who felt uncomfortable treating the two sake breweries with the same goal, i.e., to make sake with natural yeast and Yamahai as two different genres.
Ikubou is a stored sake in the fall sake category, but it still retains enough freshness, perhaps because it is an unfiltered, unpasteurized sake that has been stored at ice temperature. The aroma is sweet and fruity. It has a rounded mouthfeel that is typical of stored sake, and the taste has a strong sweetness like ripe peaches with plenty of umami. It has a round and gentle acidity, and the overall taste is sweet and sour.
There is a hint of astringency like the aroma of oak barrels, which is one of the characteristics of Koueikiku, so the sweetness is well-defined and does not give the impression of being dry at all.
I drank a variety of autumn sake this year, and it was very interesting to see that the definition of autumn sake is broad, with each brewery releasing their own interpretation of autumn sake that makes the most of their individuality.
Although the season has already moved on and it is the season for new sake, I am looking forward to enjoying next year's autumn sake again.
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ジェイ&ノビィ
Hi Hori 😃
Ikumo-san is a training sake 🧘 and I remember drinking it open for a week because it was so good and I wanted to finish it 😚.
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Hori
Thank you for your comments, Jay & Nobby!
I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed the drink. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I have about half a bottle left, so I'm going to practice too 🧘.
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