 IrishBoy (2123), Bakersfield, California, USA
Dec 28, 2007 500 ml Bottle from True Sake! Nose of light cedar and rice; Translucent very clear extremely pale yellow; flavor of pastiness, cedar, nad a very light alcohol warmth! Pretty good!
ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Aug 10, 2007 750mL bottle shared at Fugakyu in Boston on 6/22/07
Waviness can be seen in this otherwise transparent, butter-tinged white sake. Large, longstanding legs left down the glass.
Strong, robust nose is yet quite nutty and tannic (neutral, musty wood notes) with very minimal fruitiness and mostly a meaty/earthy/damp aroma. Not easy to characterize, but it’s not that lighter, heady, perfuminess that you get in some ginjos and the like. Almonds/almondskin would be a good match, or even almond liquor mixed with light spices at best. Strong, endearing aroma really warms up the nasal cavity. Very well-used casks obviously, as this is not your typical fresh, spicy cedar.
Really round and chewy in the mouth, with a strong substance to it, the tannins no doubt seeing to that. Bits of vanilla and almond past mingle together, while pearskins and mild citrus tones round out the complexity. Severely drinkable, for me at least. Probably mostly due to the barrel tannins blocking any sharpness or rice pungency. I like that alot. Definitely warming on the finish, but as Walt says, it’s relatively well-hidden.
Walt (2268), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dec 30, 2006 Pour is slightly yellow golden water...wow...the nose really opens you up...lots of wood, but not wood like you find in a beer or wine, but wood that you find in a whiskey...very very spicey....my nose almost burns...some faint sweetness following it...some alcohol too...very woody earthy taste...not a lot of spices pass through from the nose to the mouth, but there are definately some earthy pricks of spice in the finish...there is still a nice round sweetness, and the alcohol is relatively well hidden for a sake with 16+% as the ABV...but not hidden like you would call the alcohol hidden in a beer....in this case I think it is more subdued...
Slick (1956), Minnesota, USA
Dec 1, 2005 Good clear color,aroma of water with maybe a hint of alcohol.The flavor was some what sweet with a woodsy mild taste coming through with little else to offer other then the alcohol coming on with a slight mild burn.I actually found this to be quite pleasant,not exactly a brew you’d wanna sit down and make an all day affair over but a few i think are definately in order.
11026 (1886), USA
Oct 19, 2005 500cc bottle. Pours a clear color with just the slightest hint of yellow. Still. Aroma is light and slightly ricey. Maybe just a hint of cedar. I don’t pick it up like austinpowers did apparently. LIghtly sweet, a bit jammy if that is possible. Alcohol is there but never dominates. A bit of piney/turpine flavor to make things exciting. Pretty well done in my inexperienced sake opinion.
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