The “Beau-Zone” Layer – Tenbi “Kara Ten”
From Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Junmai.
SMV: N/A Acidity: N/A
When I saw a pic of this brew in a 1.8L bottle on a sake bar counter in Tokyo I thought to myself ohhhhh cool! Then I read it was Choshu Sake Brewery’s “Dry expression of Tenbi,” and I was like hmmmmmm not for me! I’m not a huge fan of dry sake, and quite frankly not a super fan of Modern or New School Junmai sake. But, color me surprised when I tasted Kara Ten, because I love it! First of all I am a big fan of Tenbi! I think it’s some of the most intelligent sake in the entire sake market. Their formula and technique has won me over, first with their Junmai Ginjo then with their Tokubetsu Junmai, which is actually one of the smartest sakes in Japan. Why smart? Well is a two-fer! It’s two for the price of one as it starts as a modern or new world Junmai then evolves into a sort of classic ricey Junmai after a few days! That’s cool and that’s smart sake. So did I have expectations for this red label? You bet! And again Tenbi made a very tasty and very smart brew, which is geared to those who like it dry!
In our review for Kara Ten, you will see the quote “Umami-clever.” Huh? Yup, this sake takes umami to a new expression and I love that. It is a dry sake! No question, and usually that’s where you lose me. But this brew is rich, dry, and crisp, and that is doubly cool when you get this clever umami with a sharp and effervescent delivery. “Kara” means dry and crisp, again basically two words I don’t prefer in sake, but they work very well in my wine glass. Clever umami and umami-clever is literally on display in this very cool sake that looks fresh and drinks fresh and is as smart as you if you give it a try!