Hakkaisan junmai ginjo hyotanbin sake is best enjoyed chilled, either alone or with lightly grilled fish and fresh seafood. The aroma is slightly fruity and nutty, but with savoury mineral notes that translate to a very clean palate.
What is Junmai Ginjo sake?
This segment of sake are made using only the simplest ingredients of rice, water, mold, and yeast. Remember the word Junmai means “rice and water only”, so Junmai Ginjo translates to rice and water milled to 60%. Junmai Ginjo is a great collection of brews that can be fruity and fresh to ricey and dry.
What does Junmai Ginjo taste like?
Ginjo and Junmai Ginjo Ginjo (吟醸) is premium sake that uses rice that has been polished to at least 60 percent. It is brewed using special yeast and fermentation techniques. The result is often a light, fruity, and complex flavor that is usually quite fragrant.
Is Junmai sake dry?
Given its rice polishing, Tokubetsu Junmai sake will have a lighter, crisper and more refined palate than a pure Junmai. Many are semi-dry and can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature or warmed, ideally in a decanter. The colder the serving, the more pronounced the crisp fruit flavors will be.
How do you drink Hakkaisan sake?
Unique to this sake is that Hakkaisan recommends serving it at an ice-cold temperature in a small glass right from the freezer. This near freezing creates a super crisp and refreshingly brisk sip of sake, with a texture that can border on a sake slushie. It is a perfectly delicious antidote to any summer heat wave.
What is Tokubetsu Junmai?
Tokubetsu junmai (“special pure”) is a special designation for high-quality sake, the indigenous and traditional rice wine that has become a strong symbol of Japan’s national culture. To qualify as Tokubetsu Junmai, a sake must be made with rice polished to less than 60 percent of its original weight.
What is the difference between Junmai Ginjo and Junmai?
Junmai Sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast and koji. Junmai Ginjo Sake is brewed using only rice, water, yeast and koji. There are no other additives. To qualify as a Ginjo, the rice grain must be milled to 60% or less of it’s original size.
What is the difference between junmai and Junmai Ginjo?
Even though the difference between junmai and ginjo can be as little as a 10% polishing change, the change in aroma and flavor can be quite significant. Junmais have subdued aromas and richer body; ginjos, on the other hand, have more expressive aromas of fruit and floral notes, with a softer finish.
What is the highest quality sake?
The following is a list of the best sake to drink right now, according to these experts.
- Best Overall: Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai.
- Best Junmai: Shichida Junmai.
- Best Ginjo: Dewazakura Cherry Bouquet Oka Ginjo.
- Best Daiginjo: Dassai 39 Junmai Daiginjo.
- Best Kimoto: Kurosawa Junmai Kimoto.
- Best Nigori: Kikusui Perfect Snow.
What does ginjo mean?
Ginjo refers to the fact that at least 40% of the rice polished away during the brewing process. This process for a ginjo sake is done at lower temperatures, which takes longer, but produces a sake that is light and fragrant with greater complexity.
Are you supposed to sip sake?
Sake is a fermented rice drink. It’s not a beer, wine or liquor. The alcohol content is higher than beer or wine, typically 15-17%. Just sip it, kind of how you would enjoy wine or tea.
What is the difference between Tokubetsu and Ginjo?
Tokubetsu Junmai and Tokubetsu Honjozo have rice polishing ratio of less than 60% – same as Ginjo and Junmai Ginjo. But their characteristics greatly differ from the aromatic Ginjo type. The characteristics of Tokubetsu Junmai can be somewhere between Honjozo and Junmai type. ‘Tokubetsu’ literally means ‘special’.
What is Hakkaisan snow-aged junmai ginjo 3 years?
The President of Hakkaisan Brewery, Jiro Nagumo, was also on hand to introduce the sake to the attendees. It was noted that the beautiful all white bottle design is a reflection of the roots of snow storage used for this sake. You will soon see Hakkaisan Snow-Aged Junmai Ginjo 3 Years appearing in your local sake shops and restaurants.
What is the alcohol percentage of Hakkaisan junmai ginjo?
In the case of Hakkaisan Snow-Aged Junmai Ginjo 3 Years, the alcohol percentage is 17%. What are the advantages of genshu? As genshu sakes are higher in alcohol, they offer more body, weight and structure to the sake. This translates into the ability to pair genshu sakes with non traditional foods. The keyword here is Umami!
What is junmai ginjo sake?
This sake is sold as a junmai ginjo grade sake, but the milling rate is actually 50% – a super premium level of milling. Milling sake rice to this level gives sake a clean and smooth body with no hint of sharpness or harsh edge. The aroma is restrained and elegant with soft hints of rice – a hallmark of the Hakkaisan brewing style.
What is the difference between sake and Genshu?
Most sake is diluted with water after production to bring the alcohol percentage usually down to about 15.5%. By contrast, genshu is a style of sake that is undiluted with water, similar in concept to “cask strength” products in the world of whiskey. In the case of Hakkaisan Snow-Aged Junmai Ginjo 3 Years, the alcohol percentage is 17%.
