The first bottle of the New Year is Tazake, which has been a long time coming. It has a good balance of mellow flavor and acidity. I finished it before night while eating Zoni from noon.
This was also served at the Sakura Lounge. Since I drank it after the Yokoyama, it seemed a bit dry, but I could taste the mellow rice flavor. It was a great way to start the morning with a delicious sake.
I had enjoyed drinking Iki Island's Yokoyama before, and to my surprise, it was available at JAL's Sakura Lounge. It tasted like fresh apple. I feel good in the morning.
I had Kunigon Yamahai Junmai recommended at a yakitori restaurant in Ueno. It has the flavor of rice and acidity typical of Yamahai, and is very tasty and robust.
It is a Kochi brand called Shimanto, not Shimanto River. This sake was also available at the Sakura Lounge, so I had it. I found it to be an umami sake with a delicious taste of rice.
Harushika is famous for its dry taste, but this sake was refreshingly crisp and delicious. I had it in the morning at the Sakura Lounge at Kansai International Airport.
I drank Shimane's Oroku on the recommendation of a steak restaurant in Kitashinchi. It had a matured, delicious mouthfeel and acidity, and was delicious with meat dishes.
I drank Tenshi, which I had heard was pretty good. It was better than I expected. It also has a muscat aroma like white wine. As expected from Nishi Shuzo, they are good at what they do.
At the end of our visit to Ise, we had it with delicious Ise Bay seafood and Matsuzaka beef at an inn in Toba Onsen. The ginjo aroma with a hint of citrus and a refreshing taste matched the food perfectly and was delicious.
I was a little short on drinks, so I had it as a closing drink. It had a good balance of acidity and sharpness, and was delicious even with a moderately full stomach. Sake from Mie is also all of a high level.
Of the three types of sake in the comparison, this was the only junmai sake, but the other two were ginjos, so it was a sake with a flavor that gave a simple impression of the delicious taste of rice.
This is actually my first experience with Jikin, as it is not an easy brand to find. The ginjo aroma spreads softly, and it has a nice sharpness. I had another glass of Jikin.
We visited Ise and compared three kinds of Mie's famous sake at an izakaya near Ise Shrine. The concept was to match the cuisine of Ise-Shima. The food was delicious, so the sake tasted twice as good. This kind of sake drinking comparison is good sometimes.
This is one of my most favorite brands, Tenmei no Aki-agari. It had a slightly smoky, delicious mouthfeel, like some kind of aged whiskey. It is great while eating grilled autumn fish.