Hakutsuru (White Crane) Sayuri Nigori Sake

Brewed by Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.
Style: Nigori
Nada, HYOGO Prefecture, Japan

Bottle, Jimmy’s Beer Store
Opaque white. Aroma of koji, alcohol, wood. Smooth body. Light apple skin, soft spiciness, light koji. Finishes warmly. Nice balance. Delicious nigori, both approachable and interesting.

300mL Bottle: Pours a very thick milky white with moderate sized particulates. I really dig the bottle and label design, it conveys a very mature and deliberate persona. The nose is a bit fruity with very subtle alcohol along with the typical chalky rice and koji notes you get with a nigori. The sweetness accenuates the fruitiness in the nose and there’s some watermelon and taro bubbletea notes. The flavor is... Well, let’s start with the mouthfeel, it’s akin to milk with flour mixed in. Creamy and smooth, but a chalky and gritty quality that passes through your teeth noticably. The flavor is nice though; a delicate sweetness and alcohol seesaw. The acidity plays with the nihonshu-do like honey and lemon chasing each other around a grassy pasture. Nice sake, I was in the mood for something like this. For the cons, it could be a little thinner with less alcohol notes for only 12½%. Worse the warmer it gets. Nice nigori, especially for Hakutsuru.

(300ml bottle) Purchased at the Penny Farthing in Oak Bay for $13. Pours a cloudy white coconut milk colour with a marzipan and alcohol nose. Very fruity flavour up front with a gritty chalk texture. Solid tip of apple juice melds with a milky cream and whiskey. Very interesting and enjoyable.

$5.49 Bottle... Pours and looks like skim milk. Leaves film and particles on the walls of my glass. Aroma is sweet, with banana, vanilla, marzipan, koji, alcohol and even a hint of cinnamon snicker-doodle. Taste is straight koji, with a bit of sweet rice grain. Can feel the particles on my tongue, a bit chalky. Light cedar notes as well. Some fresh flesh. Very creamy and milky texture, like 2% fat milk. A bit alcohol forward for the abv.

[946-20071208] 300mL. Strangely watered down Buckley’s cough syrup. Colloidal milky white body with no head. Coconut flavour has nice qualities. Light body. Interesting but most people trying it that night thought it was remarkably like puke...

Bottle purchased at Bevmo!, Sacramento-Natomas. Bottle is a frosted, pink color with a very feminine label. Aroma is lightly sweet, grainy, and a bit floral. THere is a little bit of an ethanol presence retronasally. Opaque, milky coconut milk color with no head, but a very nice legging with some fine particulars adhering to the sides of the glass. A lightly sweet, spritzy effervessence greets the tongue to start. Middle has some fruity presence, wildberries. Flavor also tends to be quite floral as well. A small ethanol presence comes through late and lends a warming sensation to this sake. The mouthfeel is creamy and rich, just like a nigori should be. I enjoyed this.

300mL Bottle at Zen - Bucktown, Chicagio, IL. Served chilled. Soft plum alcohol and apple blossom. Wet. Pours a cloudy white. Light grainy rice sugar, alcohol. Apple flesh, light asian pear, and some sweet yeast esters. A bit of apricot and yeast. Nice. Quickening and vibrant. Not an overly complex or floral sake, but the deeper koji texture and notes add to the light, delicate character of this example.

Coarse white clouds, good packaging, floral aromas, some body, not much texture, a bit of phenols, touch of effervescence and alcohol.