 muzzlehatch (4424), Burlington, Vermont, USA
Feb 28, 2008
300 ml bottle from City Market in Burlington, VT (February 2008), sampled out of the fridge from a Face Cachee de la Pomme glass. Utterly clear, probably the clearest sake I’ve had yet -- really impossible to tell apart from water aside from a very faint oiliness to the surface....legs are quite faint, nearly indistinct, and don’t last.....subtle but quite pleasing aroma of nuts and bubblegum, coconut and perhaps just a hint of sweet cherry....the body is much drier than most sakes that I’ve had; don’t know if this is characteristic of tokubetsu as I believe this is my first, but it’s reminiscent of a dry Riesling, earthy and lightly alcoholic/sharp towards the finish, with little fruitiness and more than a hint of nuts....full and quite smooth, with a nice light tingly sharpness that comes in with a touch of warmth. Fascinating, and perhaps the most complex and hard to describe sake I’ve had yet.
CharlesDarwin (1323), State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Feb 24, 2008 Sample from a Sake Flight at Fuji Jade Garden, State College, PA. Aroma carries a stronger pungent run of almonds and light grain. Distinct yeast signature. Pours clear. Alcohol arrives quickly on the palate. Strong, yet with fortitude. Brief in a quick, parsing blast of mid-fruits, grain alcohols, and jelly. Plums dominate the background. Decent, but a little scathing.
JorisPPattyn (4246), Antwerpen, Belgium
Jan 7, 2008 Virtually transparant, hint at very pale yellow. Nose like ever so lightly smoked grain. Alcohol obvious in the nose already. Almonds, lytchees, and other delicate fruit left in clear alcohol. Taste is alcoholic with a strange mix of oxydized grain, almond & lytchees again (if nowhere as sweet or as perfumed as a lytchee) - maybe cherimoya fruit. Alcoholwarming after a certain lapse of time. Gives an impression of lightness, but that is deceiving. Alcoholic, and maybe a tad too restrained sake.
IslandHaole (1026), Onna-Son, Okinawa-Ken, Japan
Nov 8, 2006 Clear, colorless sake. Mostly koji with a touch of licorice in the nose. Mild nutty flavor but also strong alcohol, unimpressive. Had both chilled and warm, didn’t care for it much either way.
crazyvin (1052), New York, USA
Jun 6, 2006 poured a perfectly clear. Aroma was sweet with several kinds of fruit and a hint of alcohol. Taste was sweet a nice fruity mix with some rice notes. Very balanced and a really dry finish. Other than some notes int the aroma alcohol was well hidden.
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