We received our second bottle of Snowman this season.
Like the summer Kabutomushi, this is the second of three bottles that I prepared to drink one each month for the three months of the season.
At the time of the first bottle, I wrote that I could not tell the difference from last year's Yukidaruma, but with this second bottle, I was able to capture the difference.
I could vividly recall last year's Yukidaruma when I drank a bottle of Urasato's light nigori that was opened the day before. The light and refreshing taste of Urasato, despite its appearance, was very similar to that of last year's Yukidaruma.
In comparison, the Yukidaruma I drank today had a thicker or deeper flavor. It was clearly different from last year's Snowman. It was clearly different from last year's impression.
My image of Sengoku is that it is super light-bodied, but this year's Snowball is not that light, but has a strong and deep flavor.
Personally, I prefer this year's Yukidaruma, but if this trend is due to the effect of the use of the sake as a raw yeast yeast, I wonder how Kabutomushi, which is known for its refreshing lightness, will turn out.
We are still looking forward to the first year of Edo-bari.
Hi Hori, good evening 🌙
How 😳The Urasato nigori and last year's Yukidaruma are very similar! I didn't get a snowball last year so I don't know, but when I open this year's I'll try to remember Urasato when I drink it 😊.
Thank you for your comment, Kotaro!
Of course the taste itself is different, but I felt it is very similar in terms of lightness.
I think of last year's snowman as a more refreshing version of this year's snowman 😊.
The first Urasato is a usunigori that I missed out on last year.
When I went to the liquor store because I heard it was delicious, there were only one bottle left, and I gave up on it in tears.
The bottle is a Bordeaux-shaped bottle, which is rare for sake, and the large label is distinctive.
When I twisted the screw cap, gas was blown out. Although the screw cap means you don't have to worry about the cap blowing off, it is sad that you don't get to experience that little bit of tension.
When poured into a glass, it is slightly effervescent and fine bubbles appear in the liquor. The taste is sweet and sour, like a white lactic acid beverage. If I were to use an analogy, it has the nuance of Calpis soda, helped by a certain gaseous sensation. Although there is a graininess that is unique to nigori sake, it is not heavy, and the overall impression is light and refreshing.
I have had many nigori sake, and I like this Urasato very much.
I have already purchased the 2nd lot which was also released last year. I am looking forward to comparing the two to see what kind of difference there is between the two.
For the first sake of the year 2025, we decided to start with Hanamup.
It is a Junmai Daiginjo made from Yamada Nishiki.
Hanamup is a sake that I was very impressed with when I had it for the first time about two months ago. Last time it was a junmai sake from Rikuwada, and this time it is a junmai daiginjo from Yamada Nishiki. Both are single-batch fire-refining. This time, too, I was lucky enough to find a four-quart bottle.
The initial aroma is a gorgeous ginjo aroma. It has a sweet, fruity aroma that attracts the senses. The taste is fresh and fruity, just like the Rikuwada. The rich sweetness and umami flavor fills the mouth and makes you feel happy. Immediately after that, a spiciness that can be felt with a touch of bitterness rises up, and it finishes cleanly with a pleasant, tangy stimulation.
Sake that is sweet until the aftertaste is delicious, but I also love sake that has the spiciness and sharpness that only sake can have. I wonder if the basic design of Hanamup is to have this sweetness and umami, followed by a spiciness and sharpness. I will try other types when I have a chance.
(I heard that Takagi Shuzo of Jyushiyo was involved in the birth of Hana Yuu. The official website indicates that Takagi Shuzo introduced Omachi and Rikuwada to the brewery, and that he must have given some advice on brewing. It seems that the Takagi Sake Brewery was also responsible for the naming of Hanayuyuu, and the site also expresses gratitude to the Takagi Sake Brewery for their assistance in the creation of the sake).
Happy New Year, Hori-san 🌅!
It is a little bit expensive Hanamup, which is called "aristocrat's sake🌹 by some people in the sake world! It's a perfect bottle to start the new year with 🤗.
Thank you for your continued support this year: 🙇🏻🙇🏻♀️
Happy New Year, Jay & Nobby 🎍.
I didn't know they were called that! I do remember thinking it was a bit expensive, but it was delicious without the slightest regret 😊.
I hope it's nice to see you here too!
We decided to end the year with our favorite sake, Koei Kiku.
This will probably be the last bottle opened in 2024.
This is one of Koei-Kiku's flagship bottles, brewed with Hachitan-Nishiki and natural lactobacillus brewing.
The term "natural lactobacillus brewing" is said to be an original name given by the brewer of Koeihiku, who felt uncomfortable with treating sake brewing and yamahai brewing as two different genres.
In addition to this light nigori, Gekko also has a clear clear sake. I drank the clear one six months ago and was so impressed with its taste that I wanted to drink the light nigori one someday, and now my wish has come true.
Following the warning on the label, I chilled the bottle well and held the stopper with my finger to break the seal. It opened without difficulty, with only a little gas leaking out.
First, I took a sip of the top. Fresh and fruity, with the woody bitterness and astringency characteristic of Koeihiku. The last two bottles of Koeihiku were stored sake, so the freshness after a long absence made me happy. The impression changes again when mixed with lees. The lactic acidity is added, and of course, the gaseous sensation becomes stronger and fresher. The taste changes to be more complex and deep, with more elements of sweetness, umami, bitterness, and other tastes.
This complex flavor may be the result of the natural lactic acid bacteria brewing process.
Good evening, Hori 😃.
It's good to end the year with your favorite drink 🤗You always do a great job with your reviews👍
Let's enjoy drinking next year too!
Have a happy drunken New Year 😌.
Thank you for your comments, Jay & Nobby!
We apologize for replying over the new year. The holiday season always makes us want to drink our favorites more than ever. Let's have another fulfilling year of drinking 🍶.
I received a bottle of Daimine's Winter Nocturne.
When I learned of its existence last year, I couldn't find it anywhere, and after waiting a year, I finally found a bottle.
It has a striking label by the same illustrator as the Summer Otosore and looks like something you would buy even if you were not a sake lover if you saw it at a liquor store.
I opened the bottle while it was well chilled, as is the theory with activated nigori sake. When the bottle is uncorked with a nice pop, bubbles start to form inside the bottle.
After slowly turning the bottle upside down to mix the lees, pour it into a glass and you will notice soft bubbles and an indescribable fruity aroma. The mouthfeel is smooth and silky, and at the same time, you can feel the light, slightly carbonated, chili-like stimulation in your mouth. The taste is my favorite sweet nigori sake. It has sweetness, umami, and a lactic acidity that is unique to nigori sake. There is also a graininess that suggests it is made from rice, and the slight bitterness and astringency are the best part of nigori sake.
The clean and refreshing aftertaste common to all Daimine sakes was still present in Winter Otosore.
This refreshing sensation, which seems to originate from the minerals in the brewing water, is unique and once you get hooked on it, it is hard to replace, so it is inevitable that you will be swamped.
We had a bottle of Shichiken's Yamano Kasumi.
The corked sparkling wine tastes and looks perfect for Christmas Eve dinner.
Yamanokasumi is lightly cloudy, so before opening the bottle, the lees are slowly stirred by turning the bottle upside down. Due to the secondary fermentation in the bottle, the gas pressure is high, and when you twist the cork, you will hear a nice popping sound and smell a fresh aroma. When poured into a glass, it bubbles richly like sparkling wine.
As you take a sip while enjoying the fruity ginjo aroma, the mellow sweetness of the light nigori flavor spreads in your mouth, followed by a slight bitterness and spiciness that is unique to sake, and then it finishes cleanly.
The fizzy sensation that delights the palate from start to finish is due to secondary fermentation in the bottle, not gas filling, so it is natural and soft, not too strong and not too weak.
It is one of my favorite sake among all alcoholic beverages, not just sake.
This is the first time I have uploaded Yamanokasumi here, but I have had it several times in the past. When I go camping, I often buy a two-pack bottle of Yamanokasumi because it is easy to pair with camp food and tastes great on its own.
This is the first time I've bought a four-pack bottle, but it's a low-alcohol (11 degrees Celsius) bottle, so I'm sure I could finish it in one sitting.
Thank you Jay & Nobby for your comments!
I wrote a lot about it, but you don't have to think too hard, it tastes great plain and simple😄.
It's low in alcohol and not too intoxicating, so I personally choose it for parties and other long meals!
We received a bottle of Kangiku's Densho-Chrysanthemum Origami.
Like the Denshogiku without lees, we had been waiting for this bottle for a year. We had high expectations for the red Denshogiku because of the deliciousness of the clear Denshogiku (yellow Denshogiku) that we had opened earlier.
First, we took a sip of the top clear.
Hmm? Is it totally different from the yellow Denshogiku?
I thought it tasted the same, so I was surprised. I thought it was just my imagination, so I compared them side by side with Hwang Denshogiku, but they are still totally different.
The Yellow Denshogiku is a sweet, juicy, royal road, and if I had to say, the taste is straightforward and easy to understand. Aka Densho-Chrysanthemum has a lactic acidity and milky taste that is unique to orikara-mi, as well as a complex bitterness and astringency in the aftertaste.
The same Kangiku also has a spring release, "Haruhi," which has a special orikarami made to order for sake dealers in addition to the nationally available Sumi-shu, and these two bottles are the same sake with or without lees.
The two bottles of Denshogiku are not only different in terms of the presence or absence of lees, but also in that they were brewed with different tastes in mind.
It will be interesting to see how the TRUE RED, whose release was cancelled this year, differs from the TRUE WHITE.
I received a bottle of Kangiku's Denshikiku.
One of the first brands I became interested in a year ago when I started drinking sake in earnest was Kangiku.
At that time, the one that had a particularly good reputation among the Kangiku brands was this Denshogiku, and after a year of waiting for it to arrive, I finally found it.
As a side note, my family is a chrysanthemum farmer, and I have been seeing the denshogiku since I was a child, so perhaps my nostalgic feelings helped to strengthen my attachment to it.
The long-awaited Densho-Chrysanthemum was delicious, far exceeding the hurdle of my expectations.
It had an outstanding freshness and a sweetness and flavor that seemed to be concentrated. It is fruity and sweet as if you bit into the nectar of a ripe apple. In addition, the slightly tender texture makes the taste more dense.
Of course, the usual cold chrysanthemum flavor is still present. The great thing again is that the same flavors are not the same no matter which one you drink. On the contrary, I feel that this consistent individuality brings a sense of reliability and security that you can be sure which one you choose, just like the unified design of European cars and Apple products.
As a nigori sake lover, I can't wait to see how the ogorigami of this one I bought together with it turns out.
We were able to obtain a bottle of Jikin. It is a bottle of special junmai hi-ire.
At my favorite liquor store, I was listening to a conversation between a clerk and a customer who seemed to be from the restaurant business, and after the exchange of "I'm going to stop drinking one bottle of Jigin," the clerk went to the refrigerator. I went to check the refrigerator to see if it was possible, and found several bottles of this Jikin lined up in a row, with a sign indicating that each household was limited to one bottle. I usually don't look carefully at the bottle section, so I had overlooked it, but it seemed that there was a regular line that day.
I was a little hesitant because of the large quantity considering our family's consumption and the capacity of the refrigerator, but since ordinary consumers like me don't have that many opportunities to encounter such bottles, I made up my mind and bought it.
As soon as I uncorked the bottle, I was immediately hit with a good aroma. The aroma is fruity, like ginjo sake, with a distinctive koji-like sweetness.
The mouthfeel is fresh despite being fire-aged. It is a sweet sake, but it also has a sourness that makes it a refreshing drink. The taste is clear and smooth, without any cloying taste. It has a bitter and sharp taste and can be matched with a wide range of meals.
It is not a particularly unique flavor, but it has a well balanced taste without any particular part of the flavor being overpowering. This may be the first time I have had such a beautiful tasting sake.
Good morning, Hori 😃.
Congratulations on getting your Jishin ㊗️ 🎉!
It's important to feel ‼️ not to miss an encounter 🤗It's a blessing to have the god of balance in a bottle 😚.
Thank you Jay & Nobby for your comments!
I'm so glad I bought it because it's very impressive and delicious. It's nice to have a square of it to savor slowly over time. We enjoy it every day 🍶.
We opened a bottle of Kouei Kiku's Ikubou.
Named for the moon in its nearly full state, this sake is brewed with natural yeast using "Kitashizuku" rice produced in Hokkaido, and is released in the fall after the vat is topped up in April, bottled, and stored in ice temperatures.
The term "natural lactobacillus brewing" is an original name given by Mr. Yamamoto, the toji of Koeikiku, who felt uncomfortable treating the two sake breweries with the same goal, i.e., to make sake with natural yeast and Yamahai as two different genres.
Ikubou is a stored sake in the fall sake category, but it still retains enough freshness, perhaps because it is an unfiltered, unpasteurized sake that has been stored at ice temperature. The aroma is sweet and fruity. It has a rounded mouthfeel that is typical of stored sake, and the taste has a strong sweetness like ripe peaches with plenty of umami. It has a round and gentle acidity, and the overall taste is sweet and sour.
There is a hint of astringency like the aroma of oak barrels, which is one of the characteristics of Koueikiku, so the sweetness is well-defined and does not give the impression of being dry at all.
I drank a variety of autumn sake this year, and it was very interesting to see that the definition of autumn sake is broad, with each brewery releasing their own interpretation of autumn sake that makes the most of their individuality.
Although the season has already moved on and it is the season for new sake, I am looking forward to enjoying next year's autumn sake again.
Thank you for your comments, Jay & Nobby!
I am very glad to hear that you enjoyed the drink. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I have about half a bottle left, so I'm going to practice too 🧘.
We received one of our personal Hall of Fame brands, Sansho.
Again, this time it was a basic bottle, a Ni-no-no-shiro of Yamada-Nishiki.
All the bottles we have had so far are Yamada-Nishiki, and this is the fourth bottle we have had, from Ni-No-No-No-Sai.
Ni-no-no-kozo is made from rice grown in the Kikuchi River basin and is "sake yeast" brewed. From the current brewing year, the regulations for this nounosai have been further clarified, and the highest level of nounosai seems to be the "Twelve Nounosai," which even incorporates horse cultivation.
The difference from other sake is that the value is not in the rice used or the rice polishing ratio, but in how well the ancient production method is reproduced (≒ how much time and effort is put into it).
When the bottle was opened, the gas pressure was strong, but not so strong that it knocked the cork off. When poured into a glass, it bubbles like a carbonated beverage.
The mouthfeel is as usual, with a nice crispness and a touch of sizzle. I think this is the best wine every time I drink it. The fruity, sparkling wine-like flavor is the same as usual, but this time it has a white grape-like atmosphere, whereas in the past it had a purple grape nuance like Kyoho grapes.
The subtle differences in flavor from one brewing to the next remind me of the fact that sake is an extension of agricultural products. It is a fascinating sake produced by the hand of man and the wonders of nature.
We had a rice and agave flower style.
It is the first other brew I have ever had, a so-called craft SAKE.
The purchase was made at the 7-Eleven Tsudanuma store, which I had seen on SNS and was interested in. It was a fresh sight to see all the local sake from all over Japan lined up in a multistory open refrigerated case without doors.
The Hanafu labels were made to look traditional in style, but upon closer inspection, they were modern in design. Is it just me, or does the large silhouette of a hop berry look like Morizo?
When poured into a glass, it has a slightly brownish light nigori color.
The aroma has a fruity nuance that is different from the ginjo aroma. It has a sense of anticipation like a tropical fruit you encounter for the first time. There is also a peaty Islay malt-like aroma.
The taste is like grapefruit with strong acidity and bitterness. The low milling of the rice gives it a strong rice flavor and sweetness, but the slight gassiness also helps to make it refreshing and light to drink. The aroma, which may be derived from hops, has a refreshing lychee-like flavor, and the aftertaste is clean.
Before drinking it, I thought it would be a sake with a slight aroma of hops, but I was wrong. I think I understand why craft SAKE is popular as a unique genre.
This is a special junmai sake from Koshino Katora.
I fell in love with this brand when I lived in Niigata for work almost 20 years ago. I had never enjoyed drinking Sake before, but I was so excited to live in Niigata that I tried many different kinds of Sake, and this is the one I came across. It was the first sake I ever tasted in my life.
My impression at the time was that it was "easy to drink anyway. It tasted clear like water, had a nice sharpness, and was not as hard to drink as other sake, which I think was perfect for me as a beginner.
Since I lived in a downtown area, I have good memories of drinking Keitora with various Niigata snacks at night at a neighborhood izakaya (Japanese style bar).
I prepared such a Keitora as a regular sake for the year-end and New Year holidays. I usually buy only a four-pack bottle, but this time I bought a one-pack bottle so that I can enjoy it little by little for a long time. We have more opportunities to eat Japanese food during the year-end and New Year holidays, such as sashimi with soy sauce and dishes with soup stock, so I would like to enjoy this sake each time while remembering the night in Niigata.
December 1st. On this day, with only one month left in this year, I opened a bottle of Snowman.
With this bottle, the winter of my sake drinking season has begun. Basically, I always drink sake in the order of purchase, but in order to enjoy the new sake season in real time, I skipped opening about 10 bottles.
When I twist the screw cap with a hole in it, bubbles come up as expected. It is not so much that it spills over, but it is lively enough to make you a little impatient. This was not the case with last season's Snowball, so I wonder if this is a change due to the fact that all the yeast has been used as the yeast yeast yeast.
First, let's take a sip of the top clear. It has a light taste with a sourness typical of Sengoku. It is not a sharp-angled sourness like Kabutomushi, but a rounded and soft sourness like the body of a snowman.
When mixed with lees, complex flavors such as sweetness, umami, and bitterness mingle together, and this is the taste of a snowman. The production process has changed from last season, and I tried to sense the difference, but I could not. Of course, they may not be exactly the same, but the fact that they can be recognized as the same despite the difference in the manufacturing process shows the high level of technical skill.
I have already purchased another bottle, but it seems that two bottles are already not enough.
We received Monochrome from Kangiku.
The rice used is Yamashu No. 4. This is the first time I have heard of this rice.
It is a crossbreed of Yamada-Nishiki and Kinmon-Nishiki, and is said to be a rice suitable for sake brewing that is as good as Yamada-Nishiki, but has not been able to spread like Yamada-Nishiki due to the difficulty of cultivation.
It is a Junmai Daiginjo with 50% polished rice, and the taste is fresh and juicy with the fullness of Kangiku's character.
It has a fruity sweetness and a slightly effervescent freshness. The bitterness spreads immediately after and finishes with a hint of astringent nuance characteristic of Kangiku. Yamashu No. 4 is a rice that has few peculiarities and is not overly assertive. The taste is right in the middle of the Occasional series we have been drinking so far.
The black-and-white label depicting memories of summer may also express the honest nature of Yamashu No. 4, which can be dyed in any color depending on the brewer.
This is a Junmai Ginjo following the Junmai Daiginjo from Kosasumori.
This was the third Junmai Daiginjo, but the first Junmai Ginjo.
I had bought two bottles to compare them, but they were so good that I accidentally drank up the daiginjo one, so I couldn't compare them side by side.
Compared to the taste in my memory, the Junmai Daiginjo has the same fresh fruity sweetness with a hint of nigori lactic acidity, but the Junmai Ginjo tastes like a sizzling sweet dessert, while the Junmai Ginjo has the presence of acidity and is a little more refreshing to drink than the Junmai Daiginjo.
Daiginjos are reminiscent of sweet, moist fruits such as peaches and grapes. The Ginjo has the image of refreshing fruits such as pears and lychees.
Both are very tasty, but if I had to choose one, I would choose the Junmai Daiginjo. I cannot forget the impact when I first drank it.
The name has changed to "Yuki no Mayu," but I have reconfirmed that this is a brand that I would like to continue drinking for a long time to come.
I received a bottle of Junmai Daiginjo from Sake Forest.
This is a bottle that shocked me when I first started enjoying sake. It is still my favorite, so much so that I think it may be my favorite even now.
It has been a while since I had it, but it is still delicious.
It is slightly cloudy with a hint of gas. It has a sweet and sour taste like fruit and a lactic acidity like yogurt that fills the mouth. The aftertaste is surprisingly bitter and the aftertaste is not too sweet.
It was so delicious that I could not stop drinking and almost finished the entire four-pack.
I heard that the name has been changed to "Yuki no Mayu" this year, but I was relieved to hear that the contents remain the same. But personally, I am a little sad because I have a strong attachment to the name of the brewery that introduced me to the taste of sake.
Is the name change due to the contract with the hotel? The hotel's website still introduces Kakusumori as a limited edition sake, so does this mean that Kakusumori is only available at the hotel and the general distribution is now called Yukinomayu?
I would like to stay at the Hotel Kozumori someday, and I would be happy to see the sake from Kozumori again there.
I was finally able to have a bottle of Katsuma, which I have been wanting to try someday.
A member of my office was going on a trip to Toyama, so I asked him to buy a bottle for me. Three out of four people at my current workplace are sake lovers, and when we travel, we request each other to buy local sake from the destination.
Since it was the first bottle, I was interested in the standard Honjikome, but since it was a rare opportunity, I was a bit excited and asked them to buy me a Junmai Ginjo.
I have never even seen Kachikoma in Tokyo, but I heard that it was lined up at a special distributor in Toyama.
I had imagined a subdued aroma and flavor, but I was not expecting it at the time of the aroma. The fruity ginjo aroma was gorgeous. The taste is sweet and delicious, yet clear and crisp. There is nothing unpleasant about the taste, which is also delicate. It is neither fresh, juicy, and rich nor, on the other hand, strong in aroma but light in taste. I wonder if this type of wine can be described as well-balanced.
It does not give the impression of being particularly unique, but it has a presence that is a little different from the sake I have had in the past.
It is understandable that there are people who go all the way to Toyama to buy this sake.
Good morning, Hori 😃.
Congratulations to Hatsukachikoma for ㊗️ 🎉!
3/4 of us are Sake lovers, great place to work👍If you travel a lot, you'll have more opportunities to drink local sake from all over the world😄.
Thanks for your comments, Jay & Nobby 😊.
We are truly blessed to work here 🍶 We can exchange information every day and it doesn't hurt at all to have a business agent on the trip when you think you can buy me a drink 😄.
Red Dragonfly has finally made its debut at our house.
We basically open the bottles in the order they were purchased, so we just can't drink them in a timely manner. By the way, it is always pushed about 2 months. I checked the stock list in the refrigerator and found that this Akatombo was the last fall sake.
Akatombo seems to be a so-called "fall-aged" sake that has undergone several months of aging after being fired in the bottle. Like other autumn sake brands, Akatombo has a deep and calm taste and does not have the freshness of Kabutomushi, but it has a sweetness that is brought out in addition to the acidity, and you can taste the sweet and sour taste.
Akatombo is going to be a sake brewed with a traditional sake yeast next year, so I would like to remember this taste at the end of the fast brewing process.
I received a bottle of Hizirizm Sake Mother Active Sake from Seishuzo.
I had seen it mentioned on social networking sites and was curious to try it.
As the reputation suggests, it was a bit tricky to open the bottle. It is very fizzy, so you have to be careful not to spill it. While chilling the bottle in the bottle cooler, I repeatedly opened and closed the bottle, and from the middle of the bottle, I adjusted the opening angle by less than a millimeter to find the point where the speed of the bubbles rising and disappearing reached an equilibrium. It took more than 20 minutes to pour the bubbles into a glass.
The aroma was fruity itself. It has a sweet, sour, and refreshing aroma, just like apples. When I drank it, my impression was the same: it was so apple-like that it was a wonder that there was no apple juice in it. It is hard to believe that it is made from rice. The alcohol content is 5 degrees, so you can drink it like a juice.
On the other hand, unlike most sake, there is no lingering aftertaste, no change in aftertaste, and no sense of sharpness. It has a very straightforward taste.
I was able to rediscover how complex and mysterious the sake I usually drink tastes.
