Kirinzan Junmai Ginjo
What a bottle! And yes it is the sister sake to the amazingly beautiful bottles for the Junmai and the Daiginjo. Do good looks translate to good tastes? You bet as the very mild nose on this Ginjo is a whisper of steamed rice, crushed leaves, cotton, and balsa wood. Huh? Yup – the nose has given this sake away as one of those “Mystery” sake that every sake fan at some point must try. Why a mystery? Because there is so much going on here but it is still just clean and simple and so easy to drink at three different temperatures. Huh? A three temperature Niigata Ginjo? See what I am saying? Of course this brew is clean and tight with a very nice tail. It is dry for sure, but call the sake Sherlock Holmes because there is some peek-a-boo sweet rice and a hint of cocoa elements that just appear. Differently sized glasses make the mystery all the more profound and it’s time for you to solve this riddle. WORD: Professional WINE: Tight reds/Crisp whites BEER: Crisp ales FOODS: Clean cuisines that make you think.