ヰリアム4.25/5
Smooth yet strong. Cantaloupe, coconut, pecan, butterscotch, cocoa, stone.
Has a lot of sweet flavours, but very little sweetness. It’s quite dry, just a tiny hint. No real discernible acidity. Somewhat strong, light bitterness, slightly thick feeling.
Love the contrasts, it’s good with savoury food. I have a feeling this will taste even better in a few days, so I better not drink it all now.
ヰリアム4/5
Nice light-bodied taru. Faint sweetness, with a gentle perfumed bitterness. Honeydew, raw almond, juniper, cedar, stone.
The woodsy herbal notes are really nice. There’s the faintest fruitiness, but mainly just a neutral honied sweetness. Bitterness on the finish balances well. Reminds me a little of gin, especially with the junipery note.
I like it, but could be a little more smooth. Good with food.
ヰリアム4.25+/5
Fantastic nigori, nice and lightly creamy with delicious tangy fruits. Green apple, green pear, tangerine, cocoa, walnut, milk.
Sweet, but lightly sweet, and the acidity is medium-low. It’s fairly light-bodied but with a gentle creamy texture. The flavours are real good and so well balanced. And it’s not what I’d usually expect from a nigori, it’s so far in the other direct from the super sweet and thick and creamy kind.
Surprisingly good, really liking this!
ヰリアム4+/5
Dry and nicely flavourful. Muscat grape, almond paste, cocoa, coconut, stone.
Slightly fruity with a faint creaminess. Hint of sweetness initially, but overall pretty dry. Strong, but easy to drink. Fresh and clean. A little nutty bitterness.
This was good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but apparently some think it’s like amazing stuff. It didn’t blow me away though really, so not sure what I’m missing.
Went well with a birthday sushi dinner of a sashimi platter and a natto roll.
ヰリアム3.75+/5
Pleasant dry saké. Indeed it’s pretty dry but it’s not too harsh at all. There’s some nice light butterscotch flavour, a bit of almond paste, and stone. Maybe a little something vaguely fruity, let’s call it persimmon. Whisper of cream.
Very clean taste. A bit stronger of a bitter finish than I’d usually like, but it’s pretty good with food. In this case paring well with natto and okra salad with rice.
According to their website it’s junmai, but the bottle doesn’t say anything.
ヰリアム4+/5
Was expecting this to be really sweet but it’s actually surprisingly dry. There’s initially some sweetness and a good bit of acidity but it fades quickly to a dry finish. Bright and fruity with a slightly bitter nuttiness. Green apple, lime, honeydew, honey, almond, quinine.
There’s an interesting slight fizzy tingling feeling on the tongue. One of the tangiest sakés I’ve yet tried.
Pretty fun and loving the festive design!
ヰリアム4.25+/5
Very tasty, light and fun sparkling saké. Fruity and light with good tang. Clean finish. Green pear, green apple, citrus, honey.
Real big pear flavour. Medium-light sweetness. Fresh and bright. If I had it blind I might think it was an apple cider or a perry, but a gentle ricy saké flavour comes through in the background. Everything is smooth and works together.
Good lower alcohol option, fun bubbles and delicious flavour. Really loving the pear.
Happy new year to all! Cheers!
ヰリアム4.25/5
Wow, very interesting and not quite like any other saké I’ve had. Honeydew melon, pear, golden raisin, chestnut, smoked meat.
Creamy, sweet but restrainedly so. Very nice fruit flavours up top, a deep nutty chestnut with that distinct savouriness, and an undeniable faint smoky flavour on the finish. Definitely some meatiness as well.
A unique flavour journey. Intriguing, keeps you coming back for another taste, just to make sure it’s real.
ヰリアム4.25/5
Light and delicate but with bold depth. Coconut, marzipan, Asian pear, malted cocoa.
Somewhat creamy, but pretty light-bodied. There’s a noticeable but restrained nutty bitterness, with hint of pear in the background. Quite faint sweetness, very little acidity.
Gentle yet confident, really enjoying this!
ヰリアム4+/5
Confident semi-sweet nigori. White chocolate, marzipan, ginger, cream cheese, molasses, concrete, pear.
Fairly strong bitterness, nutty and earthy, but the medium sweetness balances it out. Faint acidity. Somewhat creamy, but robust. Distant fruitiness. Chunky.
Pretty nice stuff! It’s got more bitterness than I’d usually prefer, but the sweetness makes it palatable, but at the same time it’s a nice restrained sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm. And the flavours are great!
ヰリアム4+/5
Indeed tastes a bit strawberry-like. Would I still have thought that if I didn’t know the yeasty inclusion beforehand? Not sure… either way, it’s fun and flavourful.
Strawb, pear, almond, coconut, ginger, stone. Faintly sweet, dry pretty quickly and gets a little sharp and spicy with some bitterness toward the end.
I could have it a bit smoother, but I suspect it will develop nicely as it sits for a few days. For now it’s quite good with food. A little acidity might be nice too.
ヰリアム4.25/5
Good stuff, light with gentle flavours and pleasantly dry. Marzipan, chamomile, white chocolate, chestnut, lychee, stone.
Just a tiny hint of sweetness, overall pretty dry. Fairly smooth but with a bit of power behind it, but nowhere near too bitter. Interesting almost savoury nuttiness.
Went very well with quite a lot of sashimi.
ヰリアム3.75/5
Flavourful, clean, slightly tangy, faintly creamy, nutty, and bitter. Yuzu, Asian pear, salted sourdough, dark chocolate, black walnut, liquorice. The flavours are very nice but it’s just too strong for my tastes, at the end leaves you with a lasting bitter aftertaste.
Better paired with a salty snack (roasted nori potato chips), but regular sips of water are still needed.
This is probably very good but I think most karakuchi are a bit too strong for me. But overall I can enjoy this.
ヰリアム4.25+/5
Very nice stuff! Cantaloupe, cocoa, cream, honeysuckle.
Smooth and lightly creamy. Nicely blended delicate flavours with big cantaloupe at the forefront. Pretty dry with only a light suggestion of sweetness near the finish. Almost no acidity. Some balanced earthy bitter notes that go well with the melon flavour.
I don’t know if I’ve had a saké that was quite this dry while still managing to be so light and smooth before. Really enjoying this!
ヰリアム3.75/5
Not bad, fairly powerful. Marzipan, white chocolate, pear, walnut, stone.
The flavours are all very nice, but there’s a pretty strong bitterness that’s a little too strong for my tastes.
Still, there’s a nice gentle sweetness and a pleasant smooth texture.
ヰリアム4.25/5
Nice and flavourful! Yellow apple, pear, almond, white chocolate, chamomile, stone.
Crisp and smooth and deeply flavoured. Pretty dry, light background sweetness. Medium-low acidity creates a great balance. Sight bit of bitterness but well rounded.
Great accompaniment to a sashimi platter.
ヰリアム4+/5
Very tasty stuff, acidic and bold with a smooth finish. Pear, cherry, chocolate, pecan, butterscotch.
It’s fruity at first but then quickly dives into a rich and slightly bitter chocolate cherry flavour, and finishes with an earthy nuttiness.
There’s a little bit of acidity initially, along with some sweetness, semi-strong bitterness, and dry finish.
Not quite what I was expecting, but flavourful and interesting.
ヰリアム4.25/5
Real nice and light and tasty. Yellow apple, pear, honeydew melon, almond, marshmallow, stone.
Slightly sweet, but light with a faint acidity. Smooth and almost a little creamy. Nice fruity flavours. A bit of earthiness in the background.
ヰリアム4/5
Light and smooth with a good acidity. Green grape, honeydew melon, kiwi, coconut, almond, stone.
Some nice light fruity flavours, a nice light acidity, some earthy bitterness on the finish. Fairly smooth and the slightest bit creamy.
Pretty delicate and fresh.
ヰリアム4/5
REPOST: Confusing, when I first opened it I hated it, the next day I hated it, a week later it’s pretty good. Kiwi, grape, coconut, almond, stone.
When I opened it it was way too bitter with a high acidity and a flavour reminiscent of cough syrup. I thought it was gross. A week on and it’s smooth and the slightest bit creamy and not gross. This is confusing, I don’t understand why this would happen. Should I be letting all my bottle sit for a week? Surely not.
Anyway, it’s not bad now.