Saké tasting. Brief notes

Beer and Spirits
1

These are notes from a saké tasting we had last week. I am new to saké, it was a fun introduction. Also found this site for terminology:

All the sakés were served chilled. Am listing these in the order in which they were tasted:

  1. Yuho “Happy Rice” Junmai ($29, 720ml). Pretty bouquet, floral…citrusy, soft finish, clean, very good! One of my favorites.

  2. Manotsuru “Bulzai” Junmai Nama Chozu ($39, 720ml). Nose of rotting fruit?? [scratch.gif] But drinks better than it smells. Worked with Brie.

  3. Daishichi Junmai Kimoto ($29, 720ml). Fragrant nose, rich-tasting, sweet and fruity on the palate but finishes dry. Very enjoyable.

  4. Zuikan Junmai (300ml, $12). Banana skin on the nose, clean finish. This is sound, but others are more memorable.

  5. Taiheikai “Pacific Ocean” Junmai Tokubetsu ($28, 720ml). Love the nose: honeydew, very fruity. Smooth, light. Good with salty food. Very enjoyable.

  6. Fukuju Junmai Ginjo ($36, 720ml). Floral and fruity nose. Medium-off dry at first taste but finishes dry. Good!

  7. Kasumi Tsuru Namazake (300ml, $15). Unpasteurized. A seasonal sake, only available from March-June. Great nose of fresh Fuji apples. Taste: silky, delicate and creamy w green apples, cantaloupe and pears. Bought a bottle of this.

  8. Konteki “Pearls of Simplicity” Junmai Daiginjo ($39, 720ml). Fragrant, licorice on the nose, finishes off silky. Very enjoyable.

  9. Konteki “Tears of Dawn” Junmai Daiginjo ($39, 720ml). Nose of fennel and tropical fruits. Taste: Pears and more tropical fruit.

  10. Shin-Rai Junmai Daiginjo ($50, 720ml). Tropical fruit fragrance and taste. Good, but not sure if it’s worth the $$$.

  11. Daishichi Junmai Daiginjo ($68, 720ml). Very pure, delicate, melts in your mouth. Silky. Just wanted to inhale this. Of course my favorite sake here is also the most expensive. [shock.gif]

  12. Yuki No Bosha “Cabin in the Snow” Junmai Ginjo. (720ml) refined to 50% of its original grain size. Lovely floral and fruity bouquet. Pears and anise on the palate.

One of the reps brought this over for us to view the degrees of polishing the rice grains. Those 35%ers were so teeny-tiny and cute!