Chiyomusubi "Nezumi Otoko" Junmai Ginjo Cup

Cute packaging aside, this is an excellent dry, crisp style of junmai ginjo. Notes of steamed rice, blanched almond, white mushroom, crisp cucumber, and a little something lactic: like lightly sweetened ricotta for cannoli. The gohyakumangoku rice is the key: it's harder than most other sake rice and dissolves slowly, making for a lighter, crisper style of sake.

The Chiyomusubi series are excellent sake-- not just excellent for cup sake. Nezumi Otoko's sibling cups: Oyaji and Kitaro are equally good, and each very different. It's a tiny tour of Tottori prefecture, and a throwback to Tottori's beloved old-timey manga/cartoon that graced Japanese televisions over 30 years ago!