Jamie Lauder

9.3

2006 vintage.
Raspberry and herbal notes on the nose.
Rich and round dark fruits flavours.
Dark plums, raspberry and cherry with sage and thyme.
Tannins are smooth and well developed.
This wine has aged beautifully.
We hade Ribeye steaks from Iwate in northern Tohoku, Japan
— 10 days ago

Charles Nebolsky

9.9

Best sake I’ve had possibly ever. At Johnny’s Jazz listening lounge in Morioka Iwate Japan — 9 months ago

Norman

9.1

This is Nanbu Bijin Black Label. They say it has “aroma of fresh and juicy orange, melon, pear, and zesty pineapple. The fruitiness follows through to the palate with the refreshing flavor of apples and the umami-rich sweetness of rice come together in a longlasting, beautiful, and clean finish. An elegant sake for special celebrations as well as everyday meals. Served in the first-class cabin of Japan Airlines.” I don’t get the aromas right now but will let the chill come off and see. There is no bottling date so I can’t tell if that’s impactful. It does have what I think is classic Yamada rice flavors although I better try some alternatives just to make sure :). Some say semi-dry, others say semi-sweet. I would go with semi-sweet. Need to look up the SMV but I’m going with -3 — 2 years ago

Norman

9.2

This was all part of our Sake Day 2025 experience. We only tasted 60ish sakes out of an estimated 450, so a small fraction of what was available. While I attempted to rinse the glass with water and stay hydrated it’s difficult to fairly rate in this environment and I use it solely as a time to try a wide variety and interact with the brands. Always good — 3 months ago

Norman

9.4

Not usually an unfiltered fan and too lazy to warm sake… cold weather though led me to pull this one out and give it a go. It’s a little plain when cool and the rice pulp is drying on the palate. Walked to 122 as directed adds body, sweetness and the rice pulp becomes a friendly hug. Little bit more alcohol warm but in a good way. Liking it - at the right place and time. — a year ago

Jamie Lauder

9.1

This is beautiful Nihon-shu.
Super ripe green melon, persimmon, ripe apricot and nougat.
With a semi-viscous quality, creamy texture and mouthfeel. There is acidity here but it’s hiding behind the richness.
We had seared Japanese beef from Iwate in northern Japan.
It tasted like meat flavoured butter.
— 2 years ago

Norman

9.0

I’m liking this. A bit in the sweet side for me so it’s a good palate opener but I wouldn’t want to be drinking this over a long period. The label says apples and almond milk. I get a little green apple and the smoothness of a milk but in general the nose and flavors are muted. There is a nice warming thing going on the palate. Nice, not amazing. — 7 months ago

Norman

9.4

This is Akabu Gold Junmai Daiginjo. It’s rich, unctuous, with a hint of sweetness/melon as it gets air. Delightful. — a year ago

romo

9.1

Full-bodied paired with A5 Wagyu and black truffle (Italian). — 2 years ago

Naoki Kondo

9.3

This is Hamachidori daiginjo at Kamaishi,Iwate, Japan. Dry and fruity — 2 years ago