THE SAME CATEGORY AS JUNMAI BUT WITH THE RICE MILLED TO AT LEAST 60% REMAINING.
| BREWERY: | Wada Sake Brewery, Established in 1797 (Yamagata Prefecture, Japan) |
|---|---|
| TYPE: | Sake (Tokubetsu Junmai) |
| ABV: | 15% |
| SIZE: | 720ml / 180ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Kairyoshinko |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Nutty, bold, spiced and elegant; quite lovely and showing that wonderfully distinctive kairyo shinko taste. Long, bold and umami-tastic. |
| BREWERY: | Mizutani Sake Brewery, Established In End Of Edo Period (1850-60s) (Aichi Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 17% |
| SIZE: | 720ml / 300ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Yamadanishiki |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 50% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Feels like nagoya! Cocoa, coffee, mocha. The perfect sake to showcase what sake can do that wine cannot. |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Round, bold with lots of pepper and sea breeze. Cocoa, coffee, mocha. The perfect sake to showcase what sake can do that wine cannot. |
| BREWERY: | Kazuma Sake Brewery Established 1870 (Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 15.0% |
| SIZE: | 720ml / 300ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Yamadanishiki |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 55% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Lots of fruit and banana, hints of peach and very well balanced, with elegance, purity and a touch of spice. Not particularly yamadanishiki in flavour but it has a versatility and purity that is typical of this brewery. | COMPLEXITY: | 7 |
| UMAMI: | 6 |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Pasta, Chicken, Seafood |
| BREWERY: | Hokkaido Mumin Village Established 1994 (Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 14.5% |
| SIZE: | 300 ML |
| RICE VARIETY: | Ginpu |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Clean, mineral and salty, with hints of sea breeze, vanilla and sweetness, elegant and simple with a fresh appealing note, some soft cheese on the finish. A very rare rice variety gives it a really interesting flavour and a long subtle finish. | COMPLEXITY: | 8 |
| UMAMI: | 5 |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Fish, Chicken, Sushi, Sashimi, Shell-Fish |
| BREWERY: | Takasago Sake Brewery Established in 1975 (Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 15.5% |
| SIZE: | 720 ML / 300 ML |
| RICE VARIETY: | KIRARA |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Sea breeze and salt, very clean and pure, less richness but with a hokkaido elegance and delicacy. You have to search for the flavour on the nose, but the palate is alive with mango, salt and banana. Bold and with lots of depth and concentration, white flowers and a hint of bread and candy floss. Surprisingly good and incredibly drinkable. | COMPLEXITY: | 6 |
| UMAMI: | 7 |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Fish, Chicken, Shell-Fish |
| BREWERY: | Kanaya Sake Brewery Established in 1869 (Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 16% |
| SIZE: | 720ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Ishikawamon |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Spice and green pepper on the nose, with subtle hints of green apple. Dry and spicy, with lots of ishikawamon character. Dry, spicy and mineral. Long, with hints of salt and seaweed. Intriguing and unique. | COMPLEXITY: | 7 |
| UMAMI: | 6 |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Fish, Seafood, Shell-Fish, Creamy Food |
| BREWERY: | Kanaya Sake Brewery Established in 1869 (Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 16% |
| SIZE: | 720ML |
| RICE VARIETY: | Ishikawamon 96%, Gohyakumangoku 4% |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Spiced, but with earthy, woody notes… clean and pure with lots of chili spice. Plenty of length, but very very long on the minerally intense finish. One that would work beautifully with fish now, but will be hugely versatile with bottle age. | COMPLEXITY: | 6 |
| UMAMI: | 6 |
| FOOD MATCHING: | Fish, Seafood, Sushi, Sashimi |
| BREWERY: | Sugihara Sake Brewery, Established in 1892 (Gihu Prefecture, Japan) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Tokubetsu Junmai) |
| ABV: | 16% |
| SIZE: | 720ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Ibi No Homare |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Blueberries and a slight hint of cucumber, with a lactic note on the nose. Lots of earth, minerals and a rustic powerful palate. Lots of length, with a lovely freshness, and a complex finish, with some spice and herbs (menthol, rosemary, eucalyptus). A contemplative sake, with lots of things to think about when tasting this sake. |
| BREWERY: | Sugihara Sake Brewery Established in 1892 (Gifu Prefecture) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 16% |
| SIZE: | 720ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Ibi no Homare |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 60% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Smooth, creamy and lactic on the nose, with lots of cream and blueberry aromas, some lemon and lime as well. Lots of lemon, peach and lime, even some yuzu with some sweetness but a lovely balance. Fascinating sake with a real difference coming from the white koji. |
| BREWERY: | Muromachi Sake Brewery Established in 1951 (Okayama prefecture) |
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| TYPE: | Sake (Junmai Ginjo) |
| ABV: | 16% |
| SIZE: | 720ml |
| RICE VARIETY: | Omachi |
| POLISHING RATIO: | 55% |
| INGREDIENTS: | Rice, Koji (Malted Rice) |
| WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS: | Bold nutty nose with almonds, cashews, bell pepper, spice, molasses, and mushroom. Poised and pure with a palate that shows chocolate, milk, cinnamon, tea leaf, jack fruit, cooked lemon and beeswax; incredibly complex. |