Choryo Tokubetsu Junmai "Omachi"

The nose on this special “one of those sakes” is a killer collection of cocoa, butter, salt water, earthy, nutty, leather and hot chocolate aromas. The cool thing about a Sake Bucket List is that the brews that you should taste are usually really tasty. And so too is this interesting brew that uses the very flavorful Omachi rice varietal milled to 68% (What? Yup! 68%) that drinks round, soft, and extremely flavorful. It dances in the funk zone, but it’s not too funky and really moves with a rich, full-bodied, and smooth flow probably because it has been cold aged since 2013. It’s big but easy and there are creamy and soft layers of flavors such as honey, cocoa, rice, grains, pancake and syrup, nougat, molasses, and a ton of umami fluffiness. Full-bodied with half the weight! Say hello to smoothness in a glass that is great at three temperatures. WORD: Smooth WINE: Round Reds/Fat Whites BEER: Creamy Ales FOODS: Pub fare, Izakaya cuisines, grilled and smoked foods.