Hori
I had a bottle of Sairai's Hanasumi.
The frosted bottle with a light misty color is the same as that of "Usugiri", a winter sake of the same Sairai brand. The simple and smart label and the stylish appearance of the frosted glass bottle give it an atmosphere that other brands do not have. Like Usugiri, I wanted to try it as soon as I saw it and jumped at the chance.
There was a warning tag attached to the bottle, but I opened it without any difficulty without the bottle flying or spewing.
I drank it with the image of the gorgeous aroma and sweet taste of Sairai, but it was a little different.
The moment you put it in your mouth, it has a light sweetness with a soft umami and a gentle acidity that is typical of light nigori, but the bitterness follows soon after, and the crisp and spicy aftertaste of alcohol follows, leaving a clean and dry impression after drinking.
With this Hanasumi, I feel I was able to experience the difference between junmai ginjo and special junmai. The Sairai I had been drinking was a junmai ginjo, but Hanasumi is a special junmai. I thought it was suitable for drinking during a meal because of its lighter taste and less cloying flavor.
This time we served it with grilled fava beans, and it was a perfect match with the green bitterness of the fava beans. As a spring sake, it would go perfectly with spring ingredients such as butterbur sprouts and rape blossoms.
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