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.
Had at Goshi Sushi in San Luis Obispo, California.
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.
ヰリアム3.75+/5
Big flavour, light acidity. Yellow apple, red grape, cola, tutti-frutti, mushroom, walnut, wet concrete.
Opened this yesterday and it was just too bitter and didn’t taste very good. I let it sit in the refrigerator for a day and now it’s tasting pretty good! It’s fairly smooth but robust, slightly sweet, with a medium-low acidity. A strong nutty quality. A bit of bitterness still but much more smoothed out.
Interesting but still a little strong for my tastes. Better with food.
ヰリアム3.75/5
Interesting saké, on the drier side but still bright and slightly fruity. Cornbread, green pear, caramel, hazelnut, autumn leaves, stone.
Fairly dry, but there’s a whisper of sweetness, mainly initially. It’s got an interesting light acidity. A bit of a lighter body which makes it more refreshing, which is nice. Some nutty bitterness on the finish but not too strong.
Overall pretty enjoyable though not entirely to my tastes. It’s not that it’s too dry, it’s just a little too bitter.
ヰリアム3.5+/5
Another kinda sketchy one, seems to actually be from Kobe but I have no idea who brewed it.
Again, I kinda don’t mind it though, this one is very light and pleasantly flavoured. Muscat grape, almond paste, vanilla, persimmon, stone.
Alcohol is only 11.5, so it’s very light, there’s a hint of sweetness initially but it is pretty dry by the finish. A faint little bit of acidity. A little savoury bitterness. It’s actually not too bad!
ヰリアム3.5+/5
Okay, I’ll admit this one is a little sketchy. According to the sparse website it’s “made by one of the top sake breweries in japan”, and then it doesn’t mention the name of that brewery, nor does it say which prefecture it’s from.
That being said it’s pretty fine, light pleasant flavours, hint of sweetness, dry finish. Milk chocolate, anise, chamomile, honeydew melon, almond paste. Light body, slightly spiced background bitterness.
Apparently from Japan, drinkable though mysterious.
ヰリアム3.5+/5
Very interesting and flavourful saké, a little on the strong dry side for me. Corn, butterscotch, milk chocolate, pecan, graphite.
Some nice flavours but there’s a bit too much bitterness for me, or maybe it’s just a little too dry for my tastes. Not much sweetness at all, maybe a hint of acidity. Tastes a bit unique, so still fun to try. Interesting yellowish hue.
ヰリアム4+/5
Fresh and clean and fruity. Toasted marshmallow, honeydew melon, pear, sweet corn, butterscotch, almond, stone.
Pretty tasty stuff. Great dryness level, just a hint of sweetness, with a faint acidity as well. Some buttery notes up top with bright juicy fruits. Bold earthy finish with a restrained bitterness.
Very enjoyable with a sashimi platter.
ヰリアム3.25/5
Not my favourite nigori, could be smoother. Almond, cantaloupe, milk.
It’s like a little too dry, I usually don’t want a saké to be sweeter, but this one needs it. The nutty flavour is almost too strong, there’s a burnt quality that isn’t great.
But who knows, maybe that added sweetness would smooth it out a bit and it would taste good with an interesting depth. But something’s off with the flavours in a way I don’t much like.
ヰリアム4/5
Delicious! Like a concentrated piña colada! Big bright pineapple flavour with some nigori creaminess.
It actually has a pretty restrained sweetness, not at all cloying, and with a fairly high acidity, so it feels more mature than candy-like.
Very tasty stuff!
Brewed in California for Ozeki USA.