The ultra-soft, lightly sweet one of the 2022 hiyaoroshi bunch. With notes of rice pudding, frosted carrot cake, palm sugar, candy corn and peaches in syrup, Oze Hiyaoroshi is a reflection of Summers past. This is a nostalgic sort of sweetness: not forward, but haunting. Not aggressive, but subtle.
I truly enjoyed this sake with a persimmon pudding dessert, as well as a cheese plate with preserved apricots. But it's also so soft, and so gently balanced, that I think anyone would appreciate its charms gently chilled in a wine glass.
Stats:
- Brewery: Ryujin Shuzo
- Prefecture: Gunma
- Classification: Junmai Daiginjo Namazume
- Rice variety: Yamadanishiki
- Polishing: 50%
- Yeast: #10
- Brewing method: Sokujo
- SMV: 0
- Acidity: 1.5
- Amino acids: 11
- Alcohol: 15%
About:
Ryujin Shuzo maintains an intense focus on quality, with high average experience level of brewery staff, and two toji (brewmasters) among a total of 6 employees. Why? The soft water of Oze National Park in Gunma prefecture. This soft water is suited to meticulously-crafted tsuki-haze koji and cold temperature fermentation, pushing the brewery toward delicate styles like junmai daiginjo. This is atypical for hiyaoroshi, but accurately reflects Ryujin Shuzo's locality, and provides a welcome contrast to the rustic styles more typical of this season.