Wesley Keppel-Henry
***** Simple & elemental. So subtle & dry, making the quality of ingredients evident. Pure, clean flavor.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
***** Fragrant & sweet fruit with enough complexity to satisfy karakuchi fans too. Nose & palate redolent of prunaceae fruits, sublimely smooth. Easy drinking, not koku.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
*** House sake of 湧水 soba shop in Chofu. Sharp & sweet with isopropyl finish. Best really cold (or maybe even heated?). Isopropyl bouquet is overpowering anywhere around room temp.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
**** Lovely bouquet makes you think it'll be sweet, but it isn't. Disappointing only if you're looking for something sweet. Although it's a gentle one, it does have a bit of a burn. Chestnut/almond!
Wesley Keppel-Henry
*** Candylike flavor/impression without actually being sweet. Candy & rich aroma; flavor is very unusual to me. Not nearly as good as their junmai daiginjo though.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
***** Only available at their Uonuma brewery. An easy-drinking sake without being boring. Light & refreshing.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Okay, but has that medicinal edge that I dislike. Their Uonuma limited is much better.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
*** At first it seemed too dry, but after letting it linger on my palate a bit it sweetened up. Has some savory elements & even a bit of whiskylike booziness. Seems like a sake that might be good warmed?
Wesley Keppel-Henry
***** Powerful & oaky-sweet, like whisky - wow! Nihonshu backbone a good backdrop for assertive oak, fantastic! Lacks that liquor-burn too. Every time I've ever sipped on whisky, it's really been something like this I've wanted.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
****Easy-drinking, classic honjouzou flavor. Very approachable - clean, pure flavor, but lacking in the complexity of more interesting sake. Best chilled. At room temp, its lack of character becomes more evident.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
*** OMG girliest sake ever - it's even pink in color! Won award as best sake to drink out of a wineglass. Mire like a rose than nihonshu - a sake for women who don't like sake. Juicelike, loads of muscat flavor & a touch of pear. Skillfully brewed but deliberately-reduced complexity renders it unsatisfying as a nihonshu.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
***** Karakuchi bite but w/fruity sweetness. Very fruity & complex. Redolent cherry on nose & front palate. Long, fascinating finish w/touch of salt. After sipping a bit, yeast moves to the forefront & cherry takes backseat.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
**** A pungent sake. Very dry, interesting, & pleasant. Sophisticated & a bit spicy. Strikes me ad a masculine sake.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
**** Part of a jizake tasting flight at 田事 in Aizu-Wakamatsu. Pleasantly dry. Noticeably more astringent than the 夢の香. A little floral, like chrysanthemum! Delicate aroma - best sipped on its own rather than with food. Strikes me as an edgy-femme sake.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
*** Served as part of a tasting flight at 田事 in Aizu-Wakamatsu. My least favorite of the three in the flight. Flavor reminded me of Flinstones chewable vitamins. Still pretty good though - the vitamin flavor wasn't overpowering. Pleasantly dry.
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Better than their popular one in the brown bottle. Nice umami kick right at end. Front had a rich sweetness that's borderline cloying - ergo best served chilled. Okay, but average & boring. Didn't even care to finish the bottle. **
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Smooth & slightly spicy. No fruit to speak of, but nice quality/generic aroma. ***
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Easy-drinking. Not particularly interesting, but pairs well with meal foods. A good, safe choice to pair with meals. ***
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Drinkable but not within the realm of good. A little briny, but main problem is the long, saccharin-like finish. Bleh. *
Wesley Keppel-Henry
Has character but goes down rough - tastes like it's a low-polish. Very spicy & makes my lips tingle. **