Hori
My first Mikotsuru is a Junmai Ginjo of Yamae Nishiki.
I purchased this bottle in March when I was beginning to become interested in Nagano sake and visited Nagano Prefecture on an errand.
Mikotsuru is a relatively new sake brewery that restarted under a new structure in 2017 after once going out of business. It is interesting to note that the company is owned by a company in Fukushima Prefecture, the sake kingdom.
Sake from Nagano Prefecture, Shinshu Kamerei and Yamasan, which we recently drank, were rather light and thin in flavor, whereas Mikotsuru is a much darker and more drinkable type of sake.
It has a juicy, rich sweetness and a complex flavor with depth. It has a bitter taste in the latter half, and the refreshing alcohol gives it a crispness, making it a delicious sake as rumored.
I also like the label, which follows the image of a universal sake label, but seems to express a modern atmosphere with its use of color and gold foil letters. As I write this, the taste is exactly as it should be, a perfect balance of modern and classical aspects.
They also seem to offer different rice varieties and my favorite activated nigori sake, so I am sure this will be a brand I will continue to patronize in the future.
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