We were served KOUEIGIKU Aizan (Hello! KOUEIGIKU Aizan).
There were two types of sake: Sumi-shu (clear sake) and Usu-nigori (lightly cloudy sake), but this time I chose the Sumi-shu.
The first thing to do is to open the bottle and pour it into a glass.
It was a glossy, smooth liquid with a texture completely different from that of water. It has a strong yellowish color and appears golden. There are no impurities such as lees or bubbles, and the transparency is so high that no convection currents can be seen at all, giving the impression of a stillness that is so tight that it is as if time has stopped.
The taste is also something else. It has a rich sweetness and strong acidity like ripe tropical fruits.
The acidity is so strong that it synchronizes with the lemon juice we were having with carpaccio with a lot of lemon juice. It is packed with so many other flavor elements that it is hard to believe that it is a clear liquid, yet it also has the usual astringent nuance that is typical of KOUEIGIKU.
Hello! KOUEIGIKU is a special sake brewed to introduce people to Koueigiku. My introduction to Koueigiku was Snow Crescent, and had it been this, I would have followed the same path.
We received a bottle of Sairai Junmai Ginjo Nama-zume.
This sake is made by the Kitanishi Shuzo brewery in Ageo City, Saitama Prefecture.
This is the second bottle of Sairai I have had since the first bottle, a new sake nigori (nigori) called Usugiri.
I have never seen Sairai at liquor stores in my area, and I always buy it online.
I think I see the Junmai Ginjo with the light blue label all year round, so I guess it is a standard position. There seem to be several variations, such as unfiltered, unfiltered, and hi-ire sake, but the one I purchased this time was the nama-zume version.
The aroma is a clear ginjo aroma. The flavor is refined and modern, just as the label implies. It is fresh and fruity, but not too sweet, and the acidity and bitterness give it a refreshing taste.
It may not be particularly unique, but it is highly versatile and can be drunk on any occasion.
The first impression I had of this wine was to buy a bottle, but I personally feel that its performance exceeded my expectations. I will try some more of the other types and if they are good, they will become my favorite brand.
I sincerely hope that there will be a distributor within easy reach.
We received a bottle of Fukkai's Yamadanishiki Nama Sake.
I have seen and heard about Fukkai in many places recently. I had always been curious about it, and at a liquor store at the beginning of the year, I found a bottle of raw sake that I had never seen before and purchased it.
Fukuda Shuzo, located near the southern tip of Hirado Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, rebranded their main brand Fukuda, and this Fukkai was introduced in 2023. The concept is "sake that expresses the sea," and the brand aims to represent the sea of Shidabiki Bay that stretches out in front of the brewery.
Poured into a glass, it looks slightly yellowish, soft, and glossy, as is typical of nama-zake. There are no bubbles or visible gas.
When you drink it, it has a dense flavor that seems to have been condensed. My first impression was that it tasted "right in the middle of the trend," but as I drank two or three more glasses, I gradually began to notice its individuality.
It has a strong umami and is fruity, but not too sweet, and in the latter half, it has a clear and crisp taste with a hint of bitterness and alcohol.
If it were to be fired, it would become a little more relaxed and might be perfect for a mealtime sake.
There are also nigori and sparkling varieties, which I would like to try in the future.
It is Kirinzan's Potari-Potari Koshitanrei.
I compared it with Gohyakumangoku, which I posted one day ago.
They look exactly the same in a glass and are indistinguishable. Both are pale yellowish in color and have a soft and thick texture instead of smooth and silky.
As for the taste, I thought the Koshitanrei was a little sweeter than the Koshitanrei I tasted last year. No, it is not sweeter, but rather there are more elements of flavor, or it is more expansive, and the Gohyakumangoku is clearer and crisper.
In any case, the difference in nuance is so slight that it is difficult for an amateur like me to put it into words.
I have heard that the difference in rice has a very small effect on the taste of sake, and this is certainly true. I heard that water and yeast, rather than rice, and even more than that, the type of sake the brewer is aiming for greatly influences the taste of the sake.
For example, if you want to make a spicy sake, you should not say, "If you use 00 rice, it will make a spicy sake," but rather, "I want to make a spicy sake, so I will use 00 rice that is suitable for that. Depending on the method of production, it may be possible to make a sweet sake using this 00 rice. The sake comparison gave us a chance to think about various things.
This is POTARIPOTARI, a winter limited edition sake from Kirinzan.
Kirinzan was my favorite brand of sake when I was transferred to Niigata. At the time, Dengara and Rinkara were my favorites, and together with Echino Ketora, they were the driving force behind my first sake boom.
Potari-Potari is Kirinzan's winter release of freshly pressed unpasteurized sake, with the green bottle of Gohyakumangoku released in November and the blue bottle of Koshitanrei released in January.
Last year I drank each one separately, but this year I wanted to compare them, so I stocked up on the Ihyakumangoku without drinking it.
Potari-Potari Ihyakumangoku is a very tasty sake with a fresh, fruity aroma and a hint of sweetness that is typical of Niigata sake, while being clean and dry.
The unique nuance (taste of water?) of Kirinzan that we have become accustomed to is also clearly perceptible, and I personally find it to be very delicious. It is a very satisfying bottle for me personally.
Today, I had it with seafood yose-nabe, and it was a perfect match, as it should be. Of course it goes well with Japanese food in general because it is more on the dry side, but it also has a gorgeous aroma and fruitiness, so it seems to go well with French, Italian, and cheese-based dishes that do not have a strong flavor.
After this, we will compare it with Koshitanrei, but more on that in the next post.
Thanks for your comment, Jay & Nobby 😊.
Kirinzan may not be the most popular sake, but it's a refreshing Niigata-style sake 🍶The comparison was that we could hardly tell the difference 😅.
I received a bottle of Sakiyami from my hometown sake brewery, Takamusume Sake Brewery.
Ever since I was a child, Takamusume has been the sake of choice. It was only last year that I learned that Takamusume was making such a delicious sake.
The last two bottles were straight-draft Arabashiri, but this time there was a light nigori that I had been curious about, so I chose it without hesitation.
When I opened the bottle, I felt the cork being pushed up as if it was being opened with caution. When the bottle is slowly turned over, the lees dance like a snow globe.
Bubbles rose from the lees, and when the bottle was opened again, the gas leaked out energetically.
As usual, it is gassy and fresh to the taste. The taste seems to be sweeter than the Arabashiri. It is so easy to drink that it is hard to believe that the alcohol content is 16%, and it is so delicious that it is easy to drink too much.
Takamusume Sake Brewery is not a very big brewery, so they probably don't make a lot of sake. There are only a few liquor stores in Tokyo that carry this sake, so opportunities to see it are limited, but I think it is a sake that deserves more attention, even if I discount the favoritism of my hometown.
We received our family's mainstay spring sake, Atago no Matsu Harukoi.
Breaking the rule of drinking in the order of purchase, I couldn't wait to open it on the day of purchase.
It looks more vibrant in color than last year. It was also more active than last year, and I let it overflow a little when I opened the bottle.
The mouthfeel is smoother than last year, and the fine rice grains that used to feel like strawberry grains are completely absent. The taste is still the same, sweet and sour, with a strawberry shake feel that makes you wonder if they really don't use strawberries.
We enjoyed the divine pairing of strawberries & cream cheese wrapped in prosciutto earlier this year.
The strange sensation of the seamless connection between the snack and the alcohol flavor is unique to this combination.
I have already bought one more bottle, but it looks like I will run out, so I will have to consider adding more in the next batch.
We received Hashu Homare 50 from Kangiku.
Hashu Homare is a rice suitable for sake brewing that was created by Tatsugoro Takagi, the 14th generation of Takagi Shuzo, after years of development. Hoshu Honor 50-Horizon is brewed with 80% Hoshu Honor and 20% Yamadanishiki.
It has the usual sweet and juicy flavor of Kangiku, but at the same time, it has a crisp and clean taste that is unique to Hanezu Honor.
I have been following Kangiku for the past year. I have not been able to drink all of them, but if I limit myself to the OCEAN99 and Occasional series, I think I have drunk about 80 to 90% of the sake released.
While each Kangiku sake has its own character, I feel that there is a consistent Kangiku character at the base of each sake. I am not sure if it is the water, the yeast, or the brewing method, but I can sense the same nuance in all of them. I feel that you can probably guess with a high degree of certainty whether it is a kangiku or not, even if you are blind tasting.
Because of its "character," I can always buy with confidence and never feel betrayed.
From now on, I will continue to follow OCEAN99 and drink mainly what I enjoyed and what I couldn't drink in the past year.
Good evening, Hori!
I also love Chrysanthemum coronarium ❤️ and I agree with you about the consistency of Chrysanthemum coronarium style ‼️ They all have different tastes, but there is a taste that is unique to Chrysanthemum coronarium 🧐I still want to follow more Chrysanthemum coronarium 🥰.
Thank you for your comment, HinaHanaMama!
I knew there was something there, like a unique cold chrysanthemum flavor.
I'm relieved I'm not the only one 😊.
This month is Aizan!
It was so good last year that I plan to buy it again this year!
I had a bottle of Aizu Miyazumi Junmai Nigori.
I drank it last year, but last year's record shows that I wrote it off as a bottle I would like to repeat next year.
It is a refreshing nigori sake that has the indescribable sweetness that only good sake can have, yet it is refreshing to drink due to its gaseous taste, acidity, bitterness from the lees, and spiciness from the alcohol.
Last year, I had just started drinking sake, especially nigori sake, and I remember that the bitterness and spiciness seemed like noise to me, especially since I drank Senkou Yukidaruma as my standard nigori sake. However, after drinking a variety of sakes after that, I think I was able to appreciate the taste of this Miyazumi Junmai Nigori more deeply.
The taste and ease of drinking kept me going, and after drinking more than half of the sake, I realized that the alcohol content was 16%. I was not able to stop drinking due to the delicious taste and ease of drinking, and after drinking more than half of the sake, I realized that it had 16 degrees of alcohol. It is said that sake that does not make you feel the strength of alcohol is good sake, and I think this is just such a sake.
This has become one of my favorite new sake nigori sakes, so of course I will repeat it next year. Buy at least two bottles.
Hi Hori 😃
Miyazumi nigori is delicious 😋I sometimes have a different impression of a sake that I repeat after a lot of experience 🤗I'm looking forward to more!
Thank you for your comment, Jay & Nobby!
I feel like I'm expanding my world by encountering different kinds of drinks 🌍 But I think I'm still pretty biased in terms of types, so I'll continue to explore a little bit more!
This is Senkori's Risshun Asa Shibori.
This is an event where sake pressed early in the spring can be enjoyed on the same day, which is doubly nice for me since my birthday is on February 4, but since the first day of spring was a day later this year, the bottle was opened on the day before my birthday.
More than 40 sake breweries participate in the Risshun Asa Shibori, and each region has a different brand.
Speaking of Sengkyo, all of their sake is made from the same sake yeast this year, and this Risshun Asa Shibori is no exception. According to some sources, this is the first time to make a sake with a fresh yeast yeast for the Risshun Asa-brewing.
Since it takes a long time to make sake, the mother brewing was done in November. The sake was made with great care during the year-end and New Year's holidays to ensure that the sake could be pressed today with pinpoint accuracy.
We were grateful to the sake store that went to the brewery early in the morning to pick up the sake and sell it on the same day.
It has a fruity aroma like white wine and a lively flavor with a pronounced acidity. It is a strange sensation to think that this was unrefined until the day before.
It was the best sake of the year, not only delicious, but also a good omen.
Good evening, Hori😄.
Happy birthday 🎂🎊🎉!
Congratulations on the eve of the festival and the lucky drink 🍶, good things are really going on ❣️ I hope you have another great year ✨!
Hi Hori 😃
Delicious and auspicious is the best ‼️
I can't believe you can celebrate your birthday with a Risshun morning squeeze 🥹It's going to be a good year for sure🤗.
Thank you, HinaHanaMama ‼️
I am thankful to my parents for giving birth to me on a day when I can celebrate with lucky sake every year😊I want to spend each day without regrets so that I can drink good sake again next year‼️
Thanks for your comment, Jay & Nobby 😊.
I drank the Risshun Morning Press for the first time last year and it's too great to be able to drink such a special sake on my birthday! I think I will be drinking it every year for the rest of my life 🍶.
We had a Sentori Hello World.
Today was my 00th year of Hello World celebration. Last year I celebrated with Sentori Risshun Asa Shibori, so this is the second year in a row that I have had Sentori.
Hello World is a private brand of sake bar Sakelabo Tokyo in Kita-ku, Tokyo. The brewer is SENKOURI.
I haven't had the first one because it was before I became interested in sake, but I have had all of the ones since the second one so far. I have not been able to drink the first one since I was not interested in sake before, but I have been able to drink all the ones after the second one so far. Even so, every time I drink it, I feel that it is a sake worth getting. Don't miss the fact that a portion of the proceeds from the second and subsequent editions will be donated to the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
Sengoku has started to make all of its sake under the banner of "Edo kitaeri" (return to Edo) this year, and this Hello World is no exception, being the first sake made using the original sake yeast.
As previously reported, there is almost no gasiness and it has a clear and smooth mouthfeel. The taste is sweet and sour, which is typical of Sengoku, and it is light enough not to be a sake made from a sake yeast. Although it is an orikara, it is not complicated and has a fruity flavor that makes you wonder why it is made from rice.
I have already purchased another bottle, so I would like to drink it after letting it sit for a while.
Good morning Hori 😃
Happy Hello World Day 🎂 🎉 Happy delicious anniversary 🤗.
We, on the other hand, got the first one and haven't had it since 🥲It's a relief to have another bottle 😋.
Thanks for your comment, Jay & Nobby 😊.
Last year's Hello World Day celebration was Sentori's Risshun Morning Pressing, so it was Sentori two years in a row 🥂.
I'm jealous of your first time drinking it!
I received Yamamoto's "Do".
I had been interested in this sake since last year, but had put off purchasing it because I thought it was still too early for a beginner.
However, I have drunk a good variety of sake over the past year, and I felt that if you like active nigori sake, it is a path you cannot avoid, so I gave it a try for the first time.
First of all, I could not open it successfully.
I was able to open it once without incident, but when I closed it again and mixed the lees, it stopped fizzing. In the past, we have been able to open sake with caution by opening and closing the cork several times, and the foaming subsided and we were able to open the bottle without spilling it. If I loosened the cork even a little, it would start to blow out, so I had no choice but to open the bottle over a bowl while spilling. Fortunately, it only spilled about one glassful, but I was prepared for the possibility that half of it might come out.
When I drank it, I was surprised to find that it was thick and yet had a strange, yet refreshing taste.
It was so thick that my body did not recognize it as a liquid, but when I put it in my mouth, my jaw moved on its own and I tried to chew it.
The rice flavor is strong, but it is not as heavy or sweet as it looks, and the acidity and gassiness make it taste drier than I imagined.
It is a Junmai Ginjyo Hachitan-Nishiki Orikarami from Hanahayo.
I was a little hesitant to drink it because it is not easy to find, but I opened the bottle in accordance with the rule that we drink them in the order in which we buy them, which exists in our house.
This is the second Hahoriyoshu I have had following the Junmai Ginjo Miyamanishiki I drank the other day, but this is the first Oriagarami I have had.
The Miyamanishiki was fruity and juicy like a pineapple, but this Hachiganishiki Orikarumi was a little different.
It is fresh and fruity, but the acidity is mild and there is no pineapple-like nuance. It has the depth and complexity of an ogara-mi sake, with a distinct bitterness and spiciness that comes through from the middle stage onward.
If Miyamanishiki Sumi-shu is a straightforward and easy-to-understand sake, Hachiganishiki Orikara-mi is a sake with a taste that will appeal to those who are used to drinking Japanese sake.
Personally, I liked the taste of both sakes so much that it was hard to decide which was better.
I am wondering if the difference is due to the difference in the rice used to make the sake, or if it is due to the difference in the Sumi-Shudo Torigarami.
It would be nice if we could compare the Sumi-shu Torigarami with the same rice, but such an opportunity is unlikely to present itself.
I received a bottle of Hirotogawa Junmai Nigori sake.
Last year, I was unable to buy this bottle and gave up in tears. This year, I gathered information about it before it went on sale and visited the liquor store first thing in the morning on the day it arrived and was able to get it.
I thought it would be a little classical from the label, but it turned out to be that type. It was completely modern.
When you twist the screw cap, you can feel the bubbles coming out of the bottle. The bubbles are not automatically stirred, but they are so lively that the lees rise to the surface along with the bubbles.
The silky texture has a nice little pizzazz to it. The concentrated sweetness and plenty of umami are combined with a refreshing acidity that gives it a dripping, juicy taste.
It is no wonder that it is often mentioned in the same breath as Senkyoku's Snowball. It exceeded the hurdle of expectations that we had waited a year for at the height of a pole vault.
Compared to last year.... I think it's because I let it sit for a month or so.
I promised myself that I would try my best to buy two bottles next year.
Good evening, Hori 😃!
Congratulations on your well-prepared first HIRO-CHAN Nigori ㊗️ 🎉It means that the taste was far above the hurdle you set for yourself 🤗It will be a pleasure to enjoy it every year ‼️
We were served a bottle of Imi's Gin-sen.
Gin-sen is a freshly pressed sake that is released at the beginning of the season.
It is a sake that is hard to come across, but we were fortunate enough to have it.
I was shocked when I tried it. It was a bit of an incident for me.
Ginsen is a brewer's alcohol-added sake, but it is different from the alcohol-added sake I know.
I have no particular preference for junmai (pure rice) or any resistance to alcohol addition, but I had a stereotype of what alcohol-added sake should be like based on my past experience. It is not that one is better or worse than the other, but that they are different genres.
First of all, Ginsen has a wonderful aroma. The aroma is elegant and gorgeous, with a fragrance that I have never experienced in a junmai sake. The taste is light nigori with a mellow sweetness and gentle acidity. After swallowing, bitterness follows, and it finishes nicely with the aroma passing through the nose.
The impression is that the alcohol taste is integrated with the sake, pushing up the good points even more.
After drinking this Gin-Sen, I realized that the addition of alcohol is a way to make sake more delicious. It is a sensation that has broadened my world.
Hi Hori 😃
Mr. Sagimi! I had the pleasure of drinking White Sagami at the Prefectural Association, but I can't get it for myself 🥲.
Great review and I would love to drink it and expand my world🌎🤗!
Thanks for your comment, Jay & Nobby 😊I happened to be there when this Imi came in and was able to buy it! I was drunk and overreacted, but maybe my perception of Aruzoe was just wrong in the first place😅.
I received a bottle of Sairai's Usugiri.
I had been interested in this brand for a long time, and I had a chance to get it.
I have long wanted to drink Sairai. It is my favorite nigori sake.
The frosted bottle with a smart label. The name "usugiri" (light mist) fits it perfectly, and it already looks delicious from the outside.
The mouthfeel is silky like a light nigori sake, with a slight gasiness. The taste is sweet with a hint of sourness. It has a fresh fruitiness. The complexity derived from lees is modest, and the taste is elegant with a sense of cleanliness from start to finish.
It is hard to think of any other sake whose appearance, naming, and taste match so well. It is safe to say that you will not be betrayed by the so-called "jackets.
I would like to try other types, so let's wait for the next opportunity.
We received OCEAN99 Ginkai from Kangiku.
Since I completed a round of the series with the recent Shiroginkai, this Ginkai is my second departure (Departure) from the series.
I first encountered Ginkai last year when I started drinking sake in earnest. It is a sake that is like a starting point and a benchmark for me, as it is what got me hooked on Kangiku and sake in general.
I still remember how surprised I was by the gap between the cool appearance of the clear bottle and the sweet, delicious, fresh, fruity, juicy flavor.
This year, Ginhai is as delicious as ever, and I vowed to try to complete OCEAN99 again this season.
This is a strawberry from Hououmida.
This is my first Hououmida.
I made my debut with strawberries before sake. I saw it at a liquor store that I don't usually go to, and I was fascinated by the fact that it is a limited-edition winter sake with a two-month shelf life.
Tochiotome from Tochigi Prefecture is used.
Instead of fermenting the juice, the strawberries are liquefied by the enzymes in the sake. Since the strawberries are bottled in their raw state without destroying their cells, the taste is extremely fresh. You can feel the fibers and crumbles that have not fully dissolved, and it is as if you are tasting the strawberries themselves.
I will try to taste more of them in the future, as there seem to be various types such as peach and yuzu in addition to strawberry.
Good morning, Hori 😃.
I had an image that you drink a lot of Senkou 😊 Surprisingly, you are a Hatsumida! Please start with the liqueur 🍓 and try some of the regular sakes 👋.
Thank you for your comment, Jay & Nobby!
Yes, so far all of our Tochigi sake has been Senkou 😊Hououomida has many varieties so I'm not sure which one to start with. I am curious about Mikumari, do you have any recommendations?
I got a bottle of Collage Oragami.
This is also one of my long-cherished wish that I couldn't drink last year.
Recently, I want to drink both the sake I couldn't drink last year and the sake I enjoyed last year, so I can't keep up with the pace.
The first three Colaku Oorigarami are so good that I want to drink all of them, but for this reason, the first one has just arrived. It is the first time to drink the first bottle, so it depends on whether you want to buy the second bottle or the third one.
I opened the bottle and took a sip. Then, gently turn the bottle over a few times and take another sip.
Immediately after putting it in the mouth, it has a strong sweet umami taste. After the gentle sweetness that is typical of orikarami spreads, a sharp spiciness with bitterness tightens the inside of the mouth. There is also a strong sense of alcohol, which seems to bring about the crispness of the sake. It is not the trendy "sake with a taste that does not seem like sake," but rather "an exceptionally tasty sake with sake-like qualities.
I was curious and looked back at my impression of Natsugin Usunigori, which I drank in the summer, and found that I had written the same thing at that time and at that time.
As a result, I had to buy a bottle of San as well.
This is the first Koei-Kiku Snow Crescent of the season.
Kouei Kiku is one of the Hall of Fame brands in our family, but it all started with this Yamadanishiki Snow Crescent that we had a year ago.
I really love its sparkling, fresh, fruity, sweet, umami, bitter, astringent, and complex flavors, including woody nuances like a hint of oak.
I have had many different Kouei Kiku sakes over the past year, but Snow Crescent is probably my favorite. We tend to finish all of the Koei-Kiku in one sitting, and this time we finished the Snow Crescent in no time at all.
Last season, Yamadanishiki was followed by Sagabiyori and Yuyamanishiki, and I wonder if it will be the same this season. I would like to add another bottle of Yamada-Nishiki for now.
