This is a special pure rice (tokusujun) from Sairai.
It was purchased at the same time as the special junmai Hanazumi (hereafter referred to as Hanazumi) that I received the other day.
Both are the same special junmai, but they are completely different.
Both are unfiltered, unfiltered, unfiltered sake with a touch of gas, but the texture of Hana Sumi is smooth and smooth, while the texture of Tokujun is a little thicker and smoother. Tokujun has a pale yellow color, which is in contrast to Hanazumi, which is a light nigori white sake.
To put it simply, Hana Sumi tastes sweet and bitter, while Tokujun tastes sweet and sour.
Tokujun has a mild aroma, but the taste is richly sweet with a sourness that is like berry fruits.
It does not have an overpowering bitterness like Hana Sumi, and the lingering sweetness lasts until the latter half of the bottle. While Hana Sumi is a sake that is suitable as an in-between-dinner drink, Tokujun is a highly satisfying sake that can be enjoyed on its own, and is more of an "in-demand" type of sake.
Tokujun seems to be made with Akita Sake Komachi rice, which is used in sake breweries in the Tohoku region, especially in Akita.
I first encountered Sairai as a half-junket purchase, but it has become my favorite brand.
I received the San-do no Kago Shi-no-shozo.
I love San-do, but this is the first sake made with rice other than Yamadanishiki.
When the bottle was opened, it was very energetic and leaked gas, just like San-do. When poured into a glass, it was slightly carbonated with bubbles and looked no different from the usual Yamada-Nishiki Ninonbrew.
However, the aroma was different. Sansho always has a fruity aroma, but Kako, as its name suggests, had a gorgeous aroma that took it to the next level. On the day when Kako was steamed at the brewery, the whole town could smell the aromatic rice.
Like the aroma, the taste was one tone more gorgeous than that of Yamadanishiki, and the acidity was a little less pronounced and the sweetness more pronounced.
This is subjective, but if Yamadanishiki has a refreshing grape-like nuance, Kako gives the impression of more mellow peach and berry fruits.
This sake is clearly different from Yamada-Nishiki, although it falls within the category of its local characteristics.
Personally, I think Yamadanishiki Ninonunomai is top class in terms of satisfaction/price, but if Kako's Ninonunomai was possible, it would have become a regular sake in my house, just like Yamadanishiki Ninonunomai.
We received a bottle of Yamama no Comet.
It is a bottle of junmai ginjo unfiltered unpasteurized sake made from "Comet," Hokkaido's preferred rice for sake brewing, and the middle part of the bottle was bottled directly from the kameguchi.
It is so fresh that you can enjoy the slight sparkle. It is just like the image on the label, which is as refreshing as a Ramune.
The aroma is a mellow ginjo aroma. The taste is my favorite sweet and bitter type that I sometimes encounter. The moment you put it in your mouth, it has a fruity impression with a rich sweetness and acidity, just like the aroma, but after swallowing, the sweetness slowly turns into bitterness, and the lingering bitter taste, with a slight spiciness from the alcohol, tightens up the inside of your mouth. This sweet and bitter taste is similar to the Shichu we had previously.
This is my second bottle of Yamama since Ori-Ori Rock about two months ago, and I really liked both Ori-Ori Rock, an active nigori sake, and Comet, a clear sake. They are rare sakes that are hard to find, but I will definitely buy them when I see them in the future.
I had a bottle of Sairai's Hanasumi.
The frosted bottle with a light misty color is the same as that of "Usugiri", a winter sake of the same Sairai brand. The simple and smart label and the stylish appearance of the frosted glass bottle give it an atmosphere that other brands do not have. Like Usugiri, I wanted to try it as soon as I saw it and jumped at the chance.
There was a warning tag attached to the bottle, but I opened it without any difficulty without the bottle flying or spewing.
I drank it with the image of the gorgeous aroma and sweet taste of Sairai, but it was a little different.
The moment you put it in your mouth, it has a light sweetness with a soft umami and a gentle acidity that is typical of light nigori, but the bitterness follows soon after, and the crisp and spicy aftertaste of alcohol follows, leaving a clean and dry impression after drinking.
With this Hanasumi, I feel I was able to experience the difference between junmai ginjo and special junmai. The Sairai I had been drinking was a junmai ginjo, but Hanasumi is a special junmai. I thought it was suitable for drinking during a meal because of its lighter taste and less cloying flavor.
This time we served it with grilled fava beans, and it was a perfect match with the green bitterness of the fava beans. As a spring sake, it would go perfectly with spring ingredients such as butterbur sprouts and rape blossoms.
This is my first time to drink a sake from Aichi Prefecture, and my first time to drink a brewer's sake from Aichi Prefecture.
In early January, I learned of the existence of this light nigori through an e-mail from a liquor store, and was intrigued by the fact that it is sold only by reservation, which is not often heard of among Japanese sake, so I immediately made a reservation.
In addition to the limited pre-order, there are many other interesting points about this sake, such as the fact that it is a rare sake from brewer Kuheiji, and that it is made with Hyogo-produced Yamadanishiki, which is grown by a corporation in Hyogo Prefecture.
I was notified of its arrival in late February and received it the same day, but it took me two months to drink it. The label on the back said to drink it as soon as possible, but I kept it at ice temperature, so let's believe it's okay.
Now, this is my first time drinking sake from brewer Kuheiji. When poured into a glass, it has a relatively silky texture, and the degree of nigorigo is slightly thinner than Pocari Sweat. It has a fresh fruity ginjo aroma, and a pleasantly gassy sensation in the mouth. The taste is full and delicious, yet light, and the mouthfeel is clear and refreshing for a light nigori. The impression is elegant and refined.
It is a bottle that I would like to drink again next year.
I received my second bottle of Harukoyi this season.
I bought it in early February and it has been almost 3 months. I liked it so much that I left it in a safe place and it is now May. The season is no longer called spring.
By the way, there are still several other bottles of spring sake waiting in the refrigerator. I like spring sake so much that I bought too many.
The first bottle was so healthy that it overflowed when I opened the bottle, so I was worried that it might explode from being laid to rest, but my fears were unfounded. I guess it is thanks to Remacom's sub-zero storage in this area.
Even so, a few seconds after uncorking the bottle, the lees seemed to expand and the liquid level began to rise, so I hurriedly poured it into a glass. We had to be careful with active nigori sake because of this time delay attack.
The bubbles were also rising from the sake poured into the glass. The texture is smooth and smooth, but when you put it in your mouth, the bubbles pop. The lactic, sweet and sour taste is strawberry cream soda.
I have had several pink nigori sake this season, and this is still my favorite.
I bought only two bottles this year, but I wish I had bought more.
Let's look forward to next year.
Good evening, Hori.
I understand very much~! We have one bottle left in our fridge 🥹It's one of the best examples of pink low-alcohol nigori, and one of the best things about it is that it's easy to drink, but I'm too wasted to open it 🤣.
Thank you for your comment, Kotaro 😊.
I didn't know there was someone who could understand!
Harukoi is delicious 🌸I'm jealous that you still have one left 🥺.
We received a bottle of Junmai Daiginjo Ginpu from Hanahayokyu.
This is the fourth bottle of Hanahayo Kuyu.
After drinking four bottles, I realized that there are many different types of Hanahayo Kuyu.
Basically, there is no doubt that they are gorgeous, mellow, and sweet, but among them, this Ginjo has a refreshing taste.
The silver label may be partly responsible for its image, but it has the smartest taste of all the Hana-yosu I have tasted so far, and the aroma is also relatively mild.
The moment it enters the mouth, it has a pineapple aroma and sweetness that is typical of Huayouyasute. Immediately after, the spiciness that stimulates the palate changes to a distinct bitterness in the back of the mouth, giving the overall impression of dryness.
The closest thing to the image I had of Hana-yoso since I had never had it before was the first time I drank Junmai Ginjo Miyamanishiki. If it had been this Ginpu for the first time, I might have thought that it was different from my image.
But that is why I want to try all the varieties, and I guess that is what some people are actually aiming for.
I don't know how many years it will take me, but I will try to complete it.
I received KOUEIGIKU's OMACHI from Hello!
KOUEIGIKU, so I wanted to try the OMACHI version and bought it.
It was not as syrupy as the Aizan, but still had a thick, glossy, smooth texture.
It has a fruity aroma and a rich flavor, and the overall taste is well balanced with low acidity and bitterness. The woody nuances that are typical of Kouei Kiku are also clearly noticeable.
While Aizan has a rich sweetness and pronounced acidity, Omachi has a deep umami that can be enjoyed.
I did not expect such a difference in character between Aizan and Omachi. I guess you could say that Aizan has the individuality of Aizan and Yumachi has the royal road.
This is not just a difference in the level of rice used to make the same sake.
I believe that the sake quality is designed to show the best of each rice.
Before I discovered Hello, I thought that Koei Kiku was the best Sno Crescent, but Hello is delicious in a different direction, sticking out from Sno Crescent. The two bottles of Hello, Aizan and Omachi, were the best tasting, allowing even an amateur like me to realize the greatness of the brewery and its toji.
We received a spring-like peach-colored nigori sake from Ride? This sake is made by the Sakai Sake Brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture, which is famous for its Gohashi (five bridges).
I fell in love with the pink nigori sake when I first tried it last year, and was intrigued by the similar looking ride?pink. I was interested in the similar looking ride?pink, but by the time I realized it was no longer sold anywhere, so I waited a year to get my hands on a bottle.
It has a distinctive label design, a silhouette of a raccoon dog on a motorcycle, and I've seen it released in a variety of color labels depending on the season, in addition to pink. It might be fun to have all the colors.
When you twist the screw cap, you can see the bubbles rising and the freshness of the bubbles is outstanding.
When you drink only the supernatant, you can feel a pleasant gaseous sensation and a sharp acidity.
In terms of fruits, it is more like raspberries or plums with a stronger acidity than strawberries.
After mixing the lees, which are hard to mix because they have hardened, and drinking it, you will find a soft, thick mouthfeel with a tight gasp. The milky lactic acidity mellows out the sharp acidity, making it suddenly easier to drink. Although it is low-alcohol, I drank too much of it and it came with a gusto afterwards.
The first sake from Kawazuru.
It is an active nigori sake made with Sanuki olive yeast.
I was curious about it because of its reputation for being delicious, and waited to encounter it without even looking for it, until one day I found it in the refrigerator of the liquor store I always patronize.
When I opened the bottle, it was as vibrant as the rumors said it would be. Even after chilling it below freezing and opening it slowly, the bubbles that welled up did not subside, and it took more than 10 minutes of opening and closing the cork before it settled down.
The difficult part was that the bubbles would be fine at the moment of opening the bottle, but after a second or two, bubbles would start rising from the lees that had accumulated at the bottom. If I had opened the bottle fully from the beginning without knowing it, it would have spurted out for sure.
When poured into a glass, the bubbles are as frothy as those of a carbonated beverage. It is a cloudy, slightly cloudy, and the way it is bubbling is similar to that of Calpis soda.
When drunk, it has a silky texture typical of nigori sake. In addition to its low alcohol content, the fine and soft gaseous sensation is pleasant and makes you want to drink it in large gulps.
The taste is sweet with a lactic acidity and is cool and fresh. There is a unique nuance in the aftertaste, which is probably due to the character of olive yeast.
As a lover of activated nigori sake, this is a bottle that I would like to keep on hand until the next new sake season.
Two consecutive days of cold chrysanthemum on a clear day. Yesterday it was Koyama Shoten's special order, but today it is the regular version.
I bought both bottles last year and compared them. Last year, I bought the regular version and then the "Betsuatsurae" version, so this year I reversed the order.
Last year you had to look at the back to tell the difference, but this year the "sake" mark of Koyama Shoten is now on the Bessatsurae, so you can tell even if you are facing the front. As far as I know, the company's logo has been on the "Batsuatsurae" since the Yajima Sake Shop Batsurae of Kenaiyama last fall, which coincides with the change in the material of the thin vertical label.
As for the taste, as I thought last year, these two bottles are very different in terms of direction.
The normal version has a fresh, fruity, sweet, juicy taste that is typical of Kangiku, while the Betsuatsurae has a more complex taste with a strong gaseous taste due to its orikara flavor. The normal version also has a gaseous taste, but the Betsuatsurae is so gaseous that the bottle-opening warning is displayed, and the mouthfeel is like a slightly carbonated beverage.
My impression of the comparison is exactly the same as last year's. The taste that is typical of Kangiku is the regular version, and my personal favorite is the Betsuatsurae.
This is the third consecutive bottle of Kangiku, and for the first time in a long time, I was able to enjoy Kangiku at its best. It is still delicious.
We opened a bottle of Kangiku no Harehi. This is a special limited edition from Koyama Shoten, which we also received last year.
It is a special version of Junmai Daiginjo Haruhi made with Yamadanishiki and Akaban Omachi, and then directly bottled in the middle of the bottle to be orikara. It is also slightly carbonated and has all the features I like in a sake. I have drunk nearly 30 bottles of Kangiku so far, and if I were asked to name my favorite, I would say this is my favorite without hesitation.
Last year was the first time in my life that I hit the ceiling with the cork. When I bought it this year, I was told that the gas was stronger than last year's, so I held it down properly and was able to open it safely.
When poured into a glass, the milky white liquor has bubbles like a carbonated beverage.
The sweetness and umami typical of Kangiku is combined with the lactic acidity and softness of orikarami, and the complexity of the bitterness, spiciness, and astringency hidden in the lees gives it a very deep flavor.
After drinking it over the past year, I am once again convinced that it is my best of Kangiku.
I have also bought the regular version to compare this year, so I will drink them side by side at a later date.
I received a bottle of Kangiku's Aizan 50.
Last year, I went after Kangiku with all my might, and I think I drank about 90% of the sake that was released to the public.
This year, the second year, I plan to focus on the Ocean 99 series, but this Aizan 50 is an exception. I couldn't forget how good it tasted last year, so I bought it as soon as it was released.
Aizan 50 is a fresh, fruity, sweet and juicy Kangiku that has been made sweeter and juicier with more effort. Even so, it has a slight bitterness in the aftertaste, so the taste is not too sweet.
Personally, I think Aizan is a rice that goes well with Kangiku. In this Aiyama 50, the "character" of Kangiku seems to be boosted by Aiyama. It is the most Kangiku-like Kangiku for me, so I will repeat it again next year.
I was curious to see the list of sakes that I drank last year.
When I looked back at the list of sakes I drank last year, I found that there were a surprisingly large number of Occasional series that I marked as repeat purchases, in addition to the Aizan 50. It is a troubling problem when I think about the capacity of my refrigerator and new encounters.
I had a bottle of Nabeshima Blossoms moon.
I had heard that Nabeshima was the first sake with a gaseous taste, and I was interested in it, but the timing was not quite right.
I had intended to debut it at the new sake New Moon, but there were too many must-buy items during the new sake season, and I had to give up in tears due to capacity issues in the refrigerator. This was one of the reasons for my subsequent Lemacom purchases.
The rice used in Blossoms moon is called Tajima kyoiku. As I had never heard of Tajima kyoroku sake before, I looked it up and found out that it is a sake brewing rice born in Hyogo Prefecture, and that it was originally a variety from Tottori Prefecture, but was adapted to the climate of Tajima. It is said to be a rare rice that has made a comeback in recent years, although its production once ceased due to the later introduction of Yamadanishiki and Omachi.
The bottle was opened quietly after being cooled to below zero, as there was a warning on the neck and back label.
The bottle was opened without incident, without the cork flying open or the sake overflowing.
When we poured it into the glass, fine bubbles appeared. It was a fresh, fruity, and delicious bottle with the sweetness and sourness of the rice melded with the umami of the rice.
Good morning, Hori 😃.
Congratulations on your first potsherd 🎉㊗️
I know I'm always buying during the new sake season 😅I'd love to have a Lemakom in my house 🥹.
Thanks for your comments, Jay & Nobby!
Nabeshima was the first new one we've had in a long time 🆕.
I'm glad I bought Lemacom, but when I filled up, I ended up just stocking up because the amount I drink = the amount I buy 😅.
I received a bottle of The Premium Yamadanishiki Orikarami from Hanahiyo-yoku.
I have had two bottles of Hanahayo Kurosaki so far, but this is the first time I have had the premium. It is a Junmai Daiginjo made from Yamadanishiki, and my favorite Origarumi.
The moment I opened the cork, the aroma was very gorgeous and dense, reminiscent of apples. I knew from this aroma alone that it was an extraordinary sake.
At first, I drank only the top clear saké, and the word that came to mind before the deliciousness was "amazing.
A sense of happiness surged through my mouth as a taste I had never experienced before filled my mouth. Specifically, it has a condensed sweetness and a rich flavor. The acidity gives it a fruity feel, and while the overall flavor is intense, the heaviness is offset and the end result is surprisingly refreshing. When served on the edge of the lees, the complexity of the lees brings a three-dimensionality to the flavor, and the bitterness and spiciness added to the aftertaste further heightens the sense of sharpness.
I feel frustrated that I cannot leave this deliciousness in words.
I have drunk nearly 200 bottles of sake so far, but I can only count the number of sakes that have impressed me so much. The past two bottles of Hana-yoso were of course delicious, but the premium was on a different level. Knowing that there is such a delicious liquid in this world is a great harvest.
I received the Momoiro of Ryuki. This is my first Ryuki.
We went to see cherry blossoms during the day, but since we were driving, we couldn't drink alcohol, so we had hanami-sake by the time we got home.
I heard it is commonly called "Rukapin" because it is pink of Ryuki. It is a light nigori with a subdued hue, not a bright, thick nigori like the peach-colored nigori of Harukoyai or Oze no Yukidoke.
For some reason, I sensed a cheese flavor the moment I drank it. I wonder if it has something to do with the lactic acidity of the nigori. Basically, it has a sweet and sour, spring-like flavor, but for some reason, I felt a salty taste somewhere. This may also be the cause of the cheeseiness.
There is a pink grapefruit-like nuance to it, as is reputed, but it also has a salted cherry blossom-like feel to it.
The snack was strawberry & cream cheese wrapped in prosciutto. It has become a staple for pink nigori sake in our house. Nagareki is a sake from Gunma Prefecture, so we chose strawberries from Yayoi Hime, a favorite of ours.
The sweet and sour of the sake and the strawberries, the cheesiness of the sake and the cream cheese, the saltiness of the sake and the prosciutto, all linked together to create a pairing that was as perfect as a lie.
Rukapin was the first sake that was delicious but strange, strange but delicious.
We received a bottle of Yamadanishiki Ni-no-sho from San-do.
This is the sixth bottle of San-do.
Among the Sansho varieties, which are classified according to the type of rice used for sake and the type of brewing, Yamadanishiki Ninonunomai is one of the most basic. In the case of Sansho, "higher specs = better taste" may not be the case, but the great thing about Sansho, in my opinion, is that the basic specs are already outstandingly delicious.
This Yamada-Nishiki Ni-No-Sozo is the most widely consumed sake and the face of San-do, and every time I drink it, I can tell that this basic is very important to them.
The last time I drank this sake, I detected a white peach-like nuance, but this time it was the same grapey feeling as usual.
The sweetness was stronger than before, but I wonder if it was my condition or the unique fluctuation of the sake's sake making process. In any case, this time it was fruity as if it were some kind of fruit juice, and it was also very tasty with a slight carbonation. I always think that if you were served this sake without knowing it, you might not think it was sake.
Basically, I am satisfied with Yamada-Nishiki Ninonozo, but recently I became a little curious and bought some sake made with different rice and high quality sake. As one of the followers of the Sanshu cult, I guess it is a path that cannot be avoided.
We received a bottle of Sentori Classic I.
Classic is a bottle made with Kame-no-o and Yamada-nishiki sake rice, with no added yeast and made with Morohaku.
It is one of SENKYO's classic brands along with Modern and Retro. I-shiki means fire-aged, and nama-shu is zero.
I bought this classic because I heard the brewer of Senkyu talk about this sake. He said, "Oh, I wanted to make this kind of sake. When I drank this one, I thought, "I finally got there. I finally got there." He has made many delicious sakes.
The brewer of SENKYO, who has made many delicious sakes, says that this sake is the one that he has reached. If you like SENKYO, you must not miss this sake.
This statement is about SENKYO Classic I with the production date of 2025.1.
When I bought this Sentori Classic I, I thought it was a clear sake, but in fact, it was a light nigori, which was a happy miscalculation. It was actually lightly carbonated when I poured it into the glass. At this point, it is my favorite type of sake.
When I drank it, I found it to be light and clear despite being made using the traditional sake brewing method. It is fresh, sweet, and sour, with the complexity of a light nigori, yet clean and refined.
It was one of the best tasting drinks among all alcoholic beverages.
We had a bottle of Koei Kiku's Biyun.
This is a relatively new sake, first released last year. Last year it was sold out so quickly that I missed out on buying it, and I have been curious about it for a long time, but this year I had the good fortune to be able to purchase it.
I have recently become interested in Nagano sake, and I was very much looking forward to drinking this Bikun, which is made from Nagano Miyamanishiki by Koei Kiku, one of my favorite sake brewers.
When poured into a glass, it has a soft texture that is slightly thickened and gassy to the point that very few bubbles appear.
The taste is rich and sweet with a syrupy concentration. There is a gentle acidity with ripe berry fruit nuances. The woody astringency that is typical of Koei Chrysanthemum is still there and very tasty.
It is not the sharp type because of its low alcohol content, but that allows you to enjoy the lingering fruitiness for a long time.
This is only its second year on the market, so I am sure it will continue to evolve and change in the future. We will repeat this wine next year.
The second bottle of Hello World 4th was opened.
Hello World is the private brand of SakeLabo Tokyo, a sake bar in Kita-ku, Tokyo.
I have never visited the restaurant, but I came across their YouTube channel when I started drinking sake in earnest, and I have been studying sake through their videos ever since.
The first bottle was before I became interested in sake, but I have been fortunate enough to purchase the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th bottles.
I received the first bottle immediately after purchase, but decided to let the second bottle sit for a bit before drinking, so I opened the bottle after two months of storage in the refrigerator.
The first bottle had a clean, light taste that overturned the image of the sake as being made using the original sake yeast, and had a sweet and sour, refreshingly fruity flavor.
Of course, the taste did not change significantly with time, but it seemed to have a fuller flavor than the first bottle. The light mouthfeel, which seemed to soak into the body without resistance, gave the impression of a slightly thicker and slightly more rewarding taste.
There is talk that the next Hello World will be an active nigori like the second one, so I am already looking forward to the next release.
