Rihaku 李白Dreamy Clouds Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori 特别純米酒にごり58% Seimai Buai

Rice - Gohyakumangoku 五百万石 🌾
Prefecture - Shimane 島根県
Brewery - Rihaku Sake Brewery
Alcohol - 15%
Color - Yellow Cloudy
Aroma - Barley 💧, 🍈, Wet 🌾 , 🧀
Taste - Medium
Umami - Medium
First impression - Lively
Body - Medium
Sweetness - Medium Dry
Tail/length - Long
Overall - Have long wanted to try Rihaku 🍶 just because of their Chinese name “李白“ who is a very famous poet in olden 🇨🇳. Decided to pick up their bottle of limited export Nigorizake to try. Nigorizake is cloudy in nature due to being filtered using a broader mesh which results in permeating of fine 🌾 particles. Distinct aromas of barley water and wet mushy 🍚 with subtle hints of cheese was what greeted me when I first pour out a glass. But before pouring out from the bottle, I gave it a shake to loosen up the sediments at the bottom of the 🍶. First taste and it felt kind of heavy on the mouth with lots of umami to it. Really different from the usual nigorizake which I have tried as they are mostly on the sweeter side. Made from gohyakumangoku 🌾 polished to 58%, this 🍶has a complex taste with a medium dry finishing. With a medium body and taste, it compliments the level of umaminess and makes the 🍶a well rounded one. The long length lingers in my mouth after every sip which invigorated my taste buds. I paired it chilled with Japanese stewed beef curry rice, making it a perfect match as the umaminess go 🤚 in 🤚 with the strong tasting curry. Remember that Nigorizake is meant to be served chilled to get the best flavors out of it.
Overall, this is a good 🍶.

Mitsui San
An amateur sake lover who loves anything 🇯🇵 and started exploring 🍶 drinking 5 years ago. A Kikisakeshi #唎酒師 by SSI & Certified Sake Sommelier by SSA. IG: @mitsui.sakenoob