The Kamikokoro "Toukagen Shiboritate" (Sound of Seashore) Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu ($34) is one of the sakes I recently bought at Astor Wines & Spirits. Though it seems like a mouthful to say, several of the words are merely descriptive. Tokubetsu means "special." "Junmai" refers to the quality of the sake, especially its degree of rice polishing. Nama means an unpasteurized sake. And Genshu means an undiluted sake, which has a stronger alcohol level. As a Nama, this sake is made only in the spring and you should drink this soon after you buy it.
This sake is made in the Okayama Prefecture in Japan which is famous for its peaches. The same yeast that occurs on the peaches is used in making this sake. This does imbue a taste of white peaches to the sake.
This is a very smooth sake, with definite tastes of white peach and a tinge of sweetness. There was also a bit of almost licorice or anise flavor as well. Though its alcohol content is higher than usual, it does not possess that taste of "heat" that you sometimes feel in high alcohol wines. This sake is also crisp, due to its high acidity. I very much enjoyed this sake and recommend it as a Drink & Buy.
"'Junmai' refers to the quality of the sake, especially its degree of rice polishing."
ReplyDeleteThis is incorrect. "Junmai" (pure rice) means that the sake is made only of rice, water, koji and yeast.
Many Ginjo or Daiginjo sakes contain some portion (up to 5%) distilled alcohol to bring out subtle flavors from the moromi(rice mash). A sake labeled as "Junmai" does not contain any distilled alcohol.
While at one point there were laws regarding a minimum polish for a Junmai, that is no longer the case.