April's Kurando is a sweet, mellow Mochimaro made with glutinous rice from Nagano, Japan. It has a sweet taste like ohagi (rice cakes), but has a smooth, clean finish.
March's Krando is a draft sake from the Tochigi Amataka Shuzo brewery. It is rich and dry, with a mellow mouthfeel that gives way to a lingering sake flavor. It goes well with lightly salted and robustly flavored snacks such as half-boiled eggs and cream cheese.
Shimane Okada Family Honten's Nama Sake Fuyuura. It has a sweet pear-like flavor and the transparency of cold water. The pamphlet says it goes well with salted fish and other well-flavored dishes, and it would be good with miso nabe (hot pot) to feel the winter.
New spring new sake from Iwate. Torque opens like a wine, and the taste has a tartness and then a pear-like sweetness that gradually spreads like melting snow. As the pamphlet says, it will go well with nabe (hot pot) with tsuyu dashi (soup stock) or oden (oden) with soft salty taste.
A new sake that has been undrinkable since the end of the year. The alcohol taste that pushes against you like a salted salmon roe is just like asking you to combine it with Osechi.
The local sake we had with the fried noodle with bean paste was Atago no Matsu. It has a sweetness and a clean but sure aftertaste. It is easy to drink.
This month's Kurando is a sake from Oita with bamboo bonbori and a quaint name and label. It has a twang, but it is well rounded. As the pamphlet says, it goes well with wasabi soy sauce.
Kagawa's Western Japan Sake Salty and highland taste with a clear, twangy flavor harmonizes well with Kagawa's Western Japan Sake Salty and highland taste. It goes well with salty dark dried sea bream.
Despite its clear appearance, the sake has a cloudy, muddy sake-like taste. It is good when paired with dark meat and vegetables, substituting the taste of koji for rice.