Tsukinowa – “Moon Ring” Tokubetsu Junmai

The Details:

• Brewery: Tsukinowa
• Prefecture: Iwate
• Designation: Tokubetsu Junmai
• Seimaibuai: 55%
• ABV: 16.5%
• Rice: Ginotome
• Price: <$35.00

 

The basics

As a junmai-shu, this sake is made only with water, rice, koji, and yeast (i.e. no added distilled alcohol to enhance flavor/aroma). The designation of Tokubetsu means in the most general sense that this is a “special” product to the brewer. This is made with a fairly high polish rate (55%) of Ginotome rice.

Initial Impressions

Beautiful presentation in a black paper shroud for the bottle. When chilled, the aroma was fruity – peachy. At room temperature, the aroma shifted woodsier and grainier. Beautiful light golden hue in the glass. The initial taste is fairly bold. We described the flavor progression as: sweet fruits, quickly shifting to smoky bamboo and a rapid taper to a slightly sour finish. . Strong feel on the throat as it goes down.

Conclusions

This is a well-balanced saké with quite interesting flavors. Its sweetness is countered by its acidity and it is full of big taste. We drank it chilled and later at room temperature. If you enjoy milder and fruity esters in a drink, keep it chilled. At room temperature the graininess and woodiness really came out. While quite a refined drink, there’s not much subtle about the flavor here. It makes its presence known and we’d expect it to stand up and demand attention when paired with most any food. The ABV at 16.5% is about 1% higher than normal. That doesn’t seem like much, but we thought it was certainly noticable. While hard to put into words, the flavor imparted a kind of proletariat vibe – as in: you should start referring to your drinking partners as “comrade.” As we shifted from sniffing and initial tasting and into proper drinking, any discussions of fruity notes gave way to discussion of smoke, wood, and bamboo. This led to a fairly significant divergence of conclusion on this selection. One of us found it to be thoroughly enjoyable and a personal favorite, while the other found the smoked bamboo flavor to be too strong.

Our Rating

3 out of 5 masu cups – plus or minus one. Certainly an interesting choice, and our rating splits the difference between divergent opinions.