“Kizakura, Kizakura, what is this thing you made? I ordered it for two reasons: the pretty bottle and curiousity about the yeast used and how it would translate into the final product. I do a little homebrewing with mead, so the yeast strain really perked my interest. It was possibly the bottle I was most excited to open. When the time finally came, I was not disappointed. This turned out to be my favorite out of the 6 bottles I ordered: Kikumasamune junmai taru, Kikusui junmai ginjo, Tozai Living Jewel, Hakutsuru junmai ginjo, Jozen White junmai ginjo, and this great product from Kizakura. The aroma was interesting. It smelled like sake, but there were floral notes and a bit more koji character than the other styles had. As with all 6, I started the tasting off chilled and let it warm up to room temperature with samples every few minutes. It was enjoyable at all temps, but I liked it best at room temp. It was very light bodied and tasted like a standard sake, but then it finished with an interesting bitter note that I can only imagine came from the koji. It was much more noticeable than with the other bottles, but it was not unpleasant. It gave it a very unique profile that had me scratching my head for a while. I couldn't decide whether I liked this product more or the Kikumasamune junmai taru. I really had to think about it for a while. I ended up choosing the Kizakura, but it was so close that it may as well be considered a tie. They are both good, but vastly different in good ways. I think what gave Kizakura the win was that this sake was one that I could happily drink several glasses of close together or share it with friends. It's a very pleasant sake, and one that would be well suited to people who haven't had sake (or decent sake) yet. I wish this stuff was sold locally, but it's probably good that it isn't because I would buy it too much. If you're considering trying it, just go for it. It's a great product. I will definitely be trying out some of Kizakura's other products.”
“I'm not sure about depth of terroir or umami, but this sure was pleasant to drink. I would call if "easy drinking" if that weren't a derogative term.”
“Smooth and floral. If sipped slowly there’s very little bite from the alcohol. It feels rounded even if you linger on the flavors. It’s a heavier sweet floral than something like cherry blossom candy, but it’s very pleasant.”
