Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Drank at room temperature. The color is a hint of yellow. The olfactory intensity is high, and the persistence is high. The taste on the nose - dominant aroma is of malted rice Koji. The taste on the nose - secondary aromas is directed towards spices, licorice, anise, white pepper and umami, for a fruity aroma. The first impression of intensity in the mouth is of powerful sake. The aroma on the tongue is rather dry. The body is structured. The flavor intensity is high, and the persistence is good. The taste is pleasant. The final mouth sensations are of drinkable sake. In the mouth the aroma is that of malted rice Koji, white melon, mushroom, gin, honey, popcorn, oak and cooked pear.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Drank at room temperature. The consistency of the liquid is clear, colorless and transparent. The olfactory intensity is high, and the persistence is sufficient. The taste on the nose - dominant aroma is of malted rice Koji. The taste on the nose - secondary aromas recognize hints of licorice, white flowers, melon, pineapple and lychee. The first impression of intensity in the mouth is of powerful sake. The aroma on the tongue is rather dry. The body is full. The taste is high and the persistence is good. The taste is pleasant. The roof of the mouth carries notes of dried apricot, strawberry, spring water, popcorn and umami.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Sweet and a hint of vanilla. Some sushi rice like sugar. Clear pour. Light sweet finish, some booze. Not super dry. Poured literally from a box.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Grabbed a carafe while getting sushi to go, fairly clear pour. Nose is fruity and some cane sugar. Tastes of cane sugar, cantaloupe, light bitter melon, faint herbal tones. Relatively smooth slight alcohol warming on finish. Pretty good
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
From a freshly opened 1.8 l bottle at Okariba. Clean and light, with solid dryness. Light citrus fruits and rice. Dry, bitter finish with alcohol. Simple but good.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
Bottle at Oishii on 11/17/07 (not sure the size, probably around 300mL).
Lightly cloudy as it gets to the bottom of the bottle, with obvious sediment on the bottom (though it does not cover the bottom). I did not mix it in and only let some get in at the end. A softly yellow-tinted white but without too much effervescence. It’s not like it has a head or anything (though a quick ring of bubbles perks up while pouring). Carbonation, furthermore, comes out of solution very quickly and it is closer to still than carbonated by the end of the bottle.
Anyways, I don’t think it’s incredibly sweet and sprite tasting, rather, it’s certainly a sweet sake so in a relative sense, this is incredibly sweet. But it’s not like lindemans framboise sweet, or something of that degree. Not nearly as sweet as the kioshu dessert sakes.
What it is, is deliciously full of tangerine, melon, lemon and herbal qualities. Both in nose and in flavor, with a distinct, though not strong zip on the finish, from the carbonation (which despite being very low, is quite tight). The carbonation really does help with the sweetness and it remains a very, very drinkable sake, with no sign of alcohol or flaw. Some light pineapple and vanilla creaminess develop as it warms and breathes. Soft, silky and full bodied. Absolutely marvelous!