So after work, it's weekend drinking time! Today we went to Fujiki Shoten in the Ikebukuro area for the first time in a while.
We started with a summer sake. Ginban Special Junmai Summer Limited Edition. It has an astringent taste when it first starts, but later on, refreshing acidity and umami follow. This kind of sake is very summery.
Hishiko Junmai Dry. This is really delicious. SAKARAKU-san is a big fan of Hishiko, so I ask him for it quite often. I love its dry but light aroma and sweetness.
Today we went to SAKARAKU in Takadanobaba for the first time in a little while. The last time I was here was on April 11, so this is the first time since I moved here.
First up is the first "Hatsukatsuo," a dry Junmai by Bonito Masamune. It's so smooth! And thick! I checked the label on the back and found that it is a "sake yeast yeast yeast yeast yeast yeast". I checked the label on the back and found it to be a solid sake.
It has a strong citrus acidity, and from there, a strong umami and miscellaneous flavors. It is a sake with a great impact.
Tamitsu Kami no Ho. This is also delicious. The names of Mie sake such as Jikin and Saku come to mind, but I think Tamitsu is quite a good sake as well. It has a clean and light taste, and although it is light, you can clearly taste the umami. I like it.
Meikyojimizu Junmai Ginjo Namaho. The taste is quite calm for a sake made from a sake yeast yeast yeast. The strength of the flavor is not so strong, but it is calm. It is easy to drink. It has a strong umami.
Daishinshu Junmai Namaishu. This is also aged for a year. It has quite a strong miscellaneous taste. It has a strong hardness in a surprisingly roundness.
Suminoe Junmai Ginjo Nakadare. Most chu-dorire and chu-tori are quite clear with a strong umami flavor, but Suminoe's has a bit of bitterness and astringency. It goes well with meat.
Izumikawa Junmai Ginjo Hi-ire. The FUKU NO TORI Gathering is also an event where the manager tries to see what will happen if this sake is aged for a long time, so this Izumikawa has also been aged for about a year. It has become rounder, mellower, and calmer. However, in terms of change, it is not that much.
Fukkai Yamadanishiki Hi-iri. Junmai? It does not seem to be a special junmai. It is dry with a bitter taste, but has a fruity aroma with a soft sweetness in the back. Wow, it's good.
Today is the sake event at Fukuno Tori Iidabashi. Due to bad timing, no one was able to gather, so I will enjoy it alone.
Yuki no Bijin Junmai Ginjo Summer Shiboritate Nama Sake. It has a light sweet and sour taste. It has a light sweet and sour taste with a refreshing cool sensation that goes through you smoothly. I wonder if it would go well with vegetable dishes.
Ganki Junmai Unfiltered Nama Sake. I like Harada for Yamaguchi Prefecture's local sake, but I also like Ganki in some way. It is naturally dark since it is an unfiltered, unpasteurized sake, but the light, loose feel does not make it seem heavy.
Mutsu Hachisen Urara. This is Mutsu Hachisen's spring sake, but I've never seen it before. The gorgeous aroma, light flavor, and subtle sweetness typical of Mutsu Hachisen make me think it is a spring sake. I think this will soon be out of season, too, and the seasons change so quickly.
Tonight we went to Fukuno Tori Kojimachi for the first time in a little while. I had almost no sake before, so I adjusted my timing today.
First up was Eiko-Fuji Itsusen Kaze-Blade. I had this relatively recently, but if the restaurant changes, so does the taste. However, the strength of flavor and umami is still the same.
Eiko-Fuji drinking comparison. On the left is the Kumasan Junmai Daiginjo Unfiltered Nama-Genjyu, and on the right is the Junmai Daiginjo Natsu-shu Nanahoshi. Both are Junmai Daiginjos with a 50% rice polishing ratio. The acidity is also 1.6. The sake rice, degree and sake level are different, but Morinokuma-san has a lower degree.
Morinokuma-san is a light, unfiltered, raw sake with a soft aroma and acidity that spreads. Nanahoshi has a strong acidity, but it also has a strong umami flavor. It's different after all.
Kido Junmai Ginjo Natsu no Shippu. I came here to drink this. I can't get enough of this refreshing taste, the coolness of the aroma, and the way the acidity comes through. When I drink this, I get the feeling that summer has started .......
Today is the welcome party for new employees at the company I work for. We had a barbecue by the sea in Toyosu, and then came to Sake Brewery in Ikebukuro for an after-party. I heard that they had opened a nice sake bar.
I started with Kido Tokubetsu Junmai Karakuchikid. Let's go light and nimble. It has a nice dryness that lives up to its dry name. However, it also has a nice, relaxed umami taste.