Kamotsuru Tokubetsu Junmai [1 Koku - 56]

The "Noble Crane" from Hiroshima. Hattan Nishiki rice milled to 60%, SMV +4, acidity 1.6, amino acidity 1.7, and a whopping 17.5% abv. Not a sake to be had at room temperature, as we found out. Floral nose, geraniums. Full, hearty and clean with a nice chill, plenty of deep rice flavour, anise, and peach pits, maybe even more geraniums. But, it's too brutish at room temperature, or even at any sort of non-cold temperature. Which also makes it a sake to drink, not one to savour. On the whole, I'm not enamoured of this. It's not that it tastes bad by any means, but its "sweet" spot is so narrowly defined as to be almost impractical. I'm still interested to try the lower octane Junmai Ginjo though.