Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle from Yamamoto. Bright, fruity aroma, citrus, green apple, Asian pear, touch of jasmine. Ginjo-ka. Spicy, fruity flavor, mandarins, pear, spicy koji, rice, relatively sweet, but crisply fruity. Pretty much what I expect from a Houou Biden. Bright and delicious.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
720 ml bottle form Yamamoto. Clear, oily. Noseis muscat grapes, pear, apricot, pineapple. Sweet and fruity flavor, grape, pear, apple, ginjo spice. Full-on nama flavor, rounded and smooth, full body. Typical huge fruitiness for Houou. Great as expected.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Drank cold (highly recommended temperature). The consistency of the liquid is clear, colorless and transparent. The olfactory intensity is normal, and the duration is sufficient. The taste on the nose - dominant aroma is of malted rice Koji. The taste on the nose - secondary aromas traces impressions of vanilla, white melon, strawberry and spring water. VARIATIONS Plus, drunk at room temperature (recommended temperature) (My vote 6.8/10). The taste on the nose - secondary aromas finds hints of vanilla, melon, apricot and green apple for a delicate aroma. The first impression of intensity in the mouth is of robust sake. The body is full. The taste intensity is high, and the taste persistence is sufficient. The taste is pleasant. The final mouth sensations are ready to drink. On the roof of the mouth there are impressions of peach, honey, pineapple, anise and white flowers. VARIATIONS Plus, drunk warm (My vote 7.0/10). The nose taste - secondary aromas lean towards mimosa, umami and white flowers. The first impression of intensity in the mouth is of medium strength’s sake. The body is structured. The taste intensity is normal, and the taste persistence is sufficient. The final mouth sensations are easy to drink. The roof of the mouth recognizes hints of peach, banana, honey, popcorn, fresh almond and cooked pear.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
720 ml bottle from Takimoto. Ringing out 2018 with my 12,000th rating from my favorite sake maker. Pours a lightly cloudy off white. Big, fruity, koji nose: rice, apples, cream, light vanilla, pears, some stone fruit and citrus. Dynamic fruity and spicy flavor, bright and brilliant, fresh, rice, peaches, pears, vanilla. Lovely peppery finish. Full, silky body, slightly prickly, awesome stuff. A perfect junmai daigin fresh and nama.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
720 ml bottle. Kojimai is Yamadanishiki. Pasteurized in the bottle only. Bright, fruity nose, pears, apple, spice, melon. Sweet fruit and spice. Fruity, flowery, silky, some vanilla and cream. Lovely.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
720 ml bottle from Yamamoto. Huge fruit nose: orange, pear, passion fruit, plus koji and pepper. Lovely fruit flavors, amazingly, stunningly fruity, topical, citrus, stone. A fruit salad, and it is unbelievable this comes only from rice. Sweet and full bodied. Lovely stuff, as always from them. Maybe just a step behind the shiboritate version, but amazing.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
1.8 liter bottle from Takimoto. Lovely fruit nose, cherries, muscat grapes, orange, apple, slightly spicy and dusty. Sweet and fruity flavor, slightly peppery. Silky, soft body. Excellent, though maybe a bit too sweet.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
1.8 liter bottle from Yamamoto. Pasteurized in the bottle. Very fruity nose, pears, peaches, oranges, rice. Peppery spices. Clear, slightly icy looking. Sweet and fruity up front, dry and hot in the rear. Great stone fruits, honey, oranges, peaches. Very flavorful and certainly full of ginjo-ka. Amazing front-end sweetness for a sake this dry. ¥2300 for this is a steal. Great stuff, as always from Kobayashi Shuzo.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
1.8 liter bottle from Yamamoto. My first daigin from this brewer. Enormously fruity nose. Bursting with melon, peach, ripe pear, rice, cedar-like wood shavings. Clear, slightly oily. Legs down the wine glass. Fruity and sweet, balanced by alcohol. Full rice, tropical fruits, very estery, cherries. Just a bit too sweet (I have 1.7 liters left!). Full and rounded body. Excellent, bursting with daigin flavor but with the junmai body. Would prefer it just a bit drier.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Glass at Jam. Wonderful fruity nose, tropical fruit, mango, orange, peaches. Huge fragrance. Sweet and fruity flavor, again just bursting with ripe tropical and citrus fruits, rather sweet. Rich, thick, silky body. Excellent as usual.