In what I am calling the GALLY SALE, in honor of the circumstances which led to a distributor liquidating their excess inventory, a narrow selection of rad sake in great condition is on super-sale: VERY close to its Japanese retail price! Inventory is limited, which means one day we'll face a jarring and disappointing return to the original price. But that's future you's problem, not present you! NOTHING is cheap in 2023 and I HATE that as much as the next person, so I decided to pass on a huge chunk of the savings because honestly, you deserve it. YOLO, so drink good sake.
____________________
Tamanohikari "classic" is a really fun example of what happens when a ginjo-focused sake brewery plays the umami game. The texture on the palate is soft, a little salty, slippery-- that's the ginjo part-- and the color, a pale straw, tells you it's an aged yamahai. Notes of toasted hazelnut, toffee, miso, oolong, chamomile, hay, brown butter, and a sharp twang of acidity that ensures the finish isn't clumsy. I feel like it's better than ever at ~18 months post-bottling (10/21 bottling date).
Stats:
- Prefecture: Kyoto
- Rice: Kyoto table rice
- Polishing: 60%
- Grade: Junmai Ginjo Yamahai
- Yeast: #901
This retro-lookin' bottle with checkered cream background and gold halo, the name "CLASSIC," the obnoxious yellow tag advertising their 2017 kanzake (hot sake) award win, says it all: this is an old-school style meant to compete in the same category as Kenbishi or Daishichi. And I would never hesitate to recommend it to a lover of either.
GALLY SALE- sake bottling date: 10/21 ; total available: 12 bottles
Tasting notes were recorded when this sale inventory was received on 4/18/23, and are from the specific bottling date for sale. Backstock inventory is being kept under cool (cellar) conditions and will be re-tasted at periodic intervals to confirm condition.