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くるまやくるまや
生まれも育ちも酒どころ新潟県民。 新潟清酒達人検定「金の達人」所持。 好きなお酒はやっぱり新潟淡麗辛口。 ウイスキーのようにつまみ片手に味わう個性光るお酒よりも、料理をたてる控えめな女房役のようなお酒が好きです。 おじさんなので基本的に手近な地元の酒しか飲みませんが、そのうちお取り寄せして県外酒も飲んでいきたいです。

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Check-ins

33

Favorite Brands

5

Most Check-in Brands

Sawanoi
2(50%)
Kirinzan
2(50%)

Sake Map

The origins of the sake you've drunk are colored on the map.
Niigata
23(69.7%)
Fukushima
3(9.09%)
Tokyo
2(6.06%)
Hokkaido
1(3.03%)
Akita
1(3.03%)

Timeline

くるまやくるまや
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くるまや
This sake is made in Itoigawa, Joetsu Region, Niigata Prefecture, by a brewery that loves cats😼 and music🎸. The "Red" is made from "Takananishiki" and the "Black" from "Gohyakumangoku. The "Red" we purchased this time is fresh and juicy, but does not lose its Niigata-tanrei style, and has a great sense of balance that keeps you from getting tired of drinking it 👌. First and foremost, the label on the bottle is very cool ✨It's a design that makes you want to buy a packet (...is that becoming a dead word now?). The design makes you want to buy a jacket (...is it becoming a dead word now?). The brewer is a music lover, after all, and he knows what he's doing.
Japanese>English
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This sake is made by a small sake brewery in Kashiwazaki City, Chuetsu, Niigata Prefecture. It is made using the "glutinous rice four-stage brewing" method, which is rare in Japan. The taste is impressive with the sweetness from the glutinous rice, and the sake is overall soft, mellow, and very gentle without any peculiarities. I highly recommend this bottle to those who are not used to drinking sake or those who like sweet sake.
Japanese>English
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Sake from Minami Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. I also bought a small monkfish (a local toy from the Aizu region) with the matching label as a souvenir from my trip and for myself (it's quite cute) 😃. The aroma is moderate and the mouthfeel has a good richness. The lingering sweetness of the refreshing rice flavor lingers for a long time, making it a very tasty honjozo that I never get tired of drinking. I drank it while wondering if "honjozo" will become obsolete someday.... For an old man like me, this kind of simple tasting sake is a relief 😃.
Japanese>English
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It was hot today 💦 so I was attracted by the cool label and bought it at a local liquor store. I was also attracted by its nice profile: 100% Omachi from Okayama Prefecture, made with a 100% sake brewer's yeast, and produced by a female master brewer. My first impression was that it had a firm body, with a moderate aroma, and the delicious flavor of rice and good acidity spreading out in a whiff. The wine is smooth and refreshing, so you won't get tired of drinking it. From the bottle design, I had an image of a fruity sake with a strong acidity. It tasted like a classic. I had it on the rocks with cheese, and I thought it was a sake with great potential, regardless of how you drink it or what you eat with it.
Japanese>English
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Koshinoyukitsubaki月の玉響 純米大吟醸
Yukitsubaki ShuzoNiigata
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This is a Junmai Daiginjo-genshu from a small brewery in Kamo City, Niigata Prefecture that makes all of its sake by hand and all of its sake is junmai (pure rice). Tamayura" means "just a little while," which in turn means "something fleeting. It may have been made with the image of the transience of the waxing and waning moon in mind. It is a very elegant name 👍️. It is a 17% sake, but I was impressed by the lightness of the flavor and the fragrance. I see 🤔This light and soft feeling is "Tsuki no Tama Hibiki" 😲......I was convinced by myself.
Japanese>English
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I purchased this sake at a sake brewery in Zenkoji's neighborhood to commemorate my once-every-seven-years visit to Zenkoji's Gokaicho temple. It is a junmai ginjo with a gorgeous, gentle flavor, just like the colors of the Buddhist flag on the box design. It has a pear-like aroma that wafts through the nose, and while it has a mellow, umami taste, it is smooth and easy on the palate. It is delicious! It is known as "Zenkoji's sake," and its well-balanced, royal taste is a reminder of the belief that half-baked sake is unacceptable.
Japanese>English
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It is a newly released limited edition sake from my local brewery, Ishimoto Shuzo. The clerk told me that it is an "undiluted" version of a local limited edition sake that is released a few times a year called "Echino Kanmei Oeyama Sake". It has an alcohol content of 19 degrees. This time, I had it on the rocks, chilled to a crisp, as recommended by the waiter. After taking a sip, I was impressed by its banana-like aroma, which is distinctly different from the image of Koshino-Kanbai. Even so, it has a refreshing aftertaste with a good sharpness, and I felt that it was finished with a clean taste that bears the signature of light, dry Niigata sake. Delicious 😋. By the way, as a special accompaniment to this special sake, I was given some wild vegetables (cod sprouts & kogomi) that I had picked myself. This was a perfect match and I have nothing to say about it, lol.
Japanese>English
ポンちゃん
Kurumaya, nice to meet you, good evening😊. I've never seen that before 😳 If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't recognize that modern label! Tempura of wild vegetables looks delicious ♡.
Japanese>English
くるまや
Pon-chan, nice to meet you. Thanks for your comment! As you said, the labels are great 😁. The wild vegetables went so well with the sake~! I am glad I was born Japanese.
Japanese>English
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Kirinzan超辛口(普通酒)
Kirinzan ShuzoNiigata
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Sake from Aga-machi, a mountain town in the Shimoetsu region of Niigata Prefecture. This "Super Dry" is a spicier version of the brewery's regular "Traditional Dry" sake, and is sold only through special dealers. The mouthfeel is tangy and refreshingly spicy, while the sweetness of the koji (malted rice) is also clearly felt. This balance of sweet and spicy is exquisite👍️. Today, I went to the mountains of Aga Town to pick butterbur sprouts by myself. While they were still fresh, I made fuki-miso (bean paste) with them. Tonight I had it as a snack. I picked my own wild vegetables and local sake...how could they not go well together?
Japanese>English
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Echigosakura大吟醸無濾過生原酒
Echigozakura ShuzoNiigata
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Limited edition sake from a small sake brewery in Agano City, Niigata Prefecture. It is a rare sake that is not sold to the general public and can only be purchased at the brewery's store. It is 100% Yamada-Nishiki, 50% polished rice, unfiltered and 18% alcohol. While it retains the gutsy flavor of unfiltered sake, it is clean, unctuous, and very easy to drink. It is also a sake that you need to be careful with, as it is easy to drink. I am surprised at the quality of the product. Combined with the pink label design, this sake is perfect for cherry blossom viewing in the coming season🌸. Please purchase when you stop by Agano City 😊.
Japanese>English
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Kirinzan伝統辛口(普通酒)
Kirinzan ShuzoNiigata
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Sake from Aga-machi, a hidden rice-producing town in the Shimoetsu region of Niigata Prefecture. It is a famous sake that has won the overwhelming support of the local people😊. I haven't had it in a while... and it's delicious! This is the royal road of Niigata sake. It is clean, unobtrusive, understated, and retains a strong presence. It is the best food sake. Aga-machi, located in the mountains, is said to produce good rice due to the difference in temperature between cold and hot (Koshihikari produced in Aga-machi is delicious! Highly recommended!) The first year of the project was the first year of the new year. In addition, the winters are quite cold, making it an ideal environment for making Niigata sake, which has a beautiful flavor and requires long-term fermentation at low temperatures. Generally, people tend to focus on Minamiuonuma when talking about Niigata as a "rice-producing region," but Aga-machi is also very good.
Japanese>English
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It is still cold in Niigata in February, but I wanted to feel the spring ahead of time. This is the well-known spring sake from Yoshinogawa in Nagaoka. But actually, this sake is three years old. It had been carefully stored on the shelf of a liquor store for a long time. But the liquor store is a professional liquor store, so there is no problem with the preservation condition☺️. I'm not sure what to make of it. It's a sweet sake to begin with, but after 3 years of aging, the flavor has been added and it's become very heavy and delicious. The color of the liquid is a little yellow, but it doesn't look old at all. And... when I combined it with the local handmade Namban Miso I bought with it... it was a knockout. It was born three years ago, before Corona became popular... it's a deeply moving experience to think about. The "Niigata Sake Festival" has been cancelled again this year. I can't help but hope that next year will be better. Thank you for the food.
Japanese>English
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This is a sister brand of Minami Uonuma's famous sake "Tsururei". I drank it for the first time in several years. It seems to have a lighter and gentler taste than when I drank it before. Compared to the Tsururyo series, which has a light and delicious taste, this one is quite refreshing and the spiciness is more pronounced. This sake is made by the famous master brewer who originally brewed "Tsuru no Tomo". I can't help but imagine his commitment to conceptual flavor design. In the end, both "Tsururei" and "Yukio" are delicious sakes that make me say that I like them both. I take my hat off to the master brewer.
Japanese>English
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I bought this Akita sake at a supermarket in Kita-ku, Niigata City. I was attracted by the cool label and the reasonable price. It is made with 59% milled rice, all Miyamanishiki, and the brewing water is super soft water from the Shirakami mountain system, a World Natural Heritage site (hardness is probably less than 1mg/L. Amazing!) This sake must have taken a lot of time and effort to ferment because it is made with ultra-soft water and a traditional yeast mash.... My first impression is that it has a complex flavor with strong acidity that only a traditional sake brewer can produce. The ultra-soft water makes it easy to pour down the throat. When heated, it becomes even more clear and smart! It's easy to drink and you can't help but drink more 😋.
Japanese>English
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It's been a while since I drank this, Tsuru no Tomo. It's good. It has a gorgeous aroma of koji and a hint of rice flavor, but it is soft on the palate and has no peculiarities. It is a very beautiful sake, as is typical of Niigata Danrei. This sense of balance in taste and quality is priced at just over 1,000 yen for a four-pack. You can feel the spirit. This is the kind of thing that shows off the skill of a brewery... I take my hat off to them. It tastes even better than a bad high-class daiginjo. I hope that it doesn't become too famous and that they continue to make this kind of sake.
Japanese>English
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Our first sake of the year was the famous Kirinzan. It's a very popular local sake from the Shimoetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, Kirinzan Denshin, and this year they've released their first freshly squeezed sake. It's delicious 😋 To put it simply, it tastes similar to the "Shiboritate Nama" (freshly brewed sake) from the Shimeharizuru region. The price is reasonable, and it's a great beer. The price is reasonable and I think it will be popular! I have a feeling it will be a long seller. I recommend it. Good luck to Aga town❗. But if you want... I personally think the label could be a little better 😅.
Japanese>English
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I opened the second bottle of Ome City's local sake that I bought by mail order the other day. I'll be working at night tomorrow, so this is my last bottle for the year😋. Ah! This is delicious. It's a light, dry sake that goes well with all kinds of food. It has a gentle, understated and beautiful taste that I like.
Japanese>English
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Takachiyo無調整おりがらみ
Takachiyo ShuzoNiigata
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I bought it at Ponshukan Niigata station. It is made by the flat rice polishing method which can efficiently remove the protein which is the cause of the miscellaneous taste, and it is non-adjusted, once-heated, and origara-mi... It is a very elaborate one cup. It has a mellow aroma, a good balance of acidity and sweetness, and a refreshing and pleasant taste. It's a great way to start the day, and it's a great way to start the day. This is a great drink to pair with a creamy soy milk hot pot.
Japanese>English
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This is a sake from Hokkaido that I purchased by mail order. It is a light Junmai with an alcohol content of 12 and a sake content of -10. The mouthfeel is as light as if you were drinking water, with no peculiarities, and it was very easy to drink. The sweetness and sourness are moderate, but after swallowing, the lingering taste of the rice spreads to your mouth in a pleasant way. It has a very beautiful taste, and the affinity with the bottle design is high, so it was my favorite sake. It might be good to choose it like a white wine to eat with. Thanks for the food.
Japanese>English
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This is a PB from a liquor store in Niigata City's Akiba Ward, and since it's from the same brewery that produces my favorite sake, Echigo Bijin, I didn't hesitate to buy it. 50% polished Junmai (= Junmai Daiginjo standard), the top tank is suspended in a bag, and the sake is bottled as it naturally drips. However, the taste is very common. The aroma and spiciness are moderate, and there's a hint of acidity (which I'm sure will warm up nicely). By the way, this liquor store keeps their old sake at a low temperature, and sells it as "old sake" with a new added value (at a fixed price, of course!), not as "unsold" sake. I could feel their deep love for their sake, and it made me feel very good. Next time I visit, I think I'll buy some sake from 10 years ago😃.
Japanese>English
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Shimeharitsuruしぼりたて生原酒
Miyao ShuzoNiigata
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This is a winter-only unpasteurized sake from Echigo-Murakami's famous brewery, Shimeharizuru, which I first tasted about 10 years ago and was really impressed with. I bought it at a local liquor store for the first time in years. I took a sip, and oh my god, it's so good😋. It has a juicy taste with a clean throat. It's also very crisp and refreshing, so you won't get tired of drinking it, but be careful, it's 20 degrees alcohol. It is said to be a sake that has many fans, but I personally think it is a gem of superb quality, not only because of its taste but also because of its affordable price.
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