We like visiting factories, and by extension, visiting sake breweries is something we enjoy doing in Japan. We picked up this Gekkeikan Nigori Sake during our visit to the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum. As a nigorizake, it’s a rough-filtered junmaishu that results in a ‘cloudy’ appearance due to the rice sediment that remains in the sake after it has been passed through a coarse-mesh filter. Nigorizake is known for its sweet and fruity qualities.
The sake is a cloudy milk-white colour with a sweet fruity nose that recalled the aroma of ruou nep, a fermented rice dessert from northern Vietnam. Served chilled, gently acidic citrus notes came through in the head followed swiftly by a developing sweetness into the body that recalled firms plums. Bitter alcoholic notes emerge on slowly swallowing the sip and lingered briefly on the palate ahead of a sweet aftertaste that recalled banana. When swallowed too fast, chemical notes – like paint thinner or nail polish remover – came through for a very unpleasant finish. The sake has a viscous mouthfeel – thick, but not creamy as the sediment is very noticeable on the palate. For those sensitive to bitterness, like D, the bitter finish may be enough to ruin your enjoyment of the sake.
This Gekkeikan Nigori Sake contained 300 ml. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Kyōto, Japan in 2018.