Luke Pernotto

To start off the new year I tasted a Sake that was picked up when I hiked Mt. Fuji. There is a local superstition that says if you do not hike to the top of Mt. Fuji at least once during your time in Japan you will return. Seeing that this is my third time being stationed in Japan I figured it might be time to break the cycle. You can read about my experience hiking up Fuji here. While most of my hiking mates were shopping for souvenirs I was taking a look at sake’s and beer. The one I tried New Year’s Eve 2023 was from that trip.

The bottle is in the well known shape of Mount Fuji. A stratovolcano which is often depicted with equal sloping sides that is capped with a white crown that is shown as a plateau. At the summit there is a crater that rarely shows up on images. The bottle is a caricature of the mountains image. Many associate Mt. Fuji as the national symbol of Japan. I figured what better way to signal the kick off to our final year in Japan. Or so I hope, now that I have hiked to its summit.

The Ide Brewery has been making sake since 1840. For 21 generations they have crafted sake using water spring water from Mt. Fuji. Kai’s Good Luck Daiyumine is brewed in the winter the traditional time when sake is produced.

For sampling comments I have used the International Kikisake-shi Quality Evaluation Sheet. This evaluation looks at the Appearance, Aroma, and Taste. Each areas have sub-categories. Appearance has Soundness, Color, and Viscosity. Aroma is further broken down to Soundness, Strength, Specific Examples, Main Aroma, and Complexity. Taste is looked at through Soundness, First Impression, Texture, Specific Taste, Sweetness/Dryness, Aftertaste, Afftereffect, and Complexity.

Kai’s Good Luck Daiyumine, Ide Brewery, Junmai, Rice Polish 65%, ABV 15, Bottled Aug/22, Tasted 31/Dec/23

• Appearance: Soundness, Color, and Viscosity. Sake is slightly sound, while clear the sake had a yellow hue to the liquid. Very light viscosity.
• Aroma: Soundness, Strength, Specific Examples, Main Aroma, and Complexity. The sake emits a floral scent with an underlying koji mold and alcohol aroma. Medium to medium strength in aroma.
• Taste: Soundness, First Impressions, texture, Specific Taste, Sweetness/Dryness, Aftertaste, and Aftereffect. The sake has a sweet flavor with distinct alcoholic heat. The alcohol leaves a tingling mouth feel that lingers after the sip. The body is thin and there is a distinct melon flavor as the sake warms.

Questions

• What is the first aroma? My first aroma was floral.
• How do you feel about the taste? I would call the flavor good enough for a novelty sake bottle. It’s not terrible and if people were not well versed in sake this would be nice to enjoy. If anyone has a great deal of experience they may be more critical of your choice.
• What foods would pair well with this sake? I would pair this with ham or port products. Specifically i would put this with prosciutto.
• What temperature would this best be served? I tasted this sake at around 45º F. I would recommend drinking this at 55º or 65º to pick up more flavors in the sake. Much like whisky chilled temperatures tend to mute flavors in alcohol beverages.