Kubota Hekiju Sake

Bottle: Pours a light beige color, which a super high end sake of this calibur should. The nose is lightly fruity with lots of plum and melon, some buttery notes. The flavor is very subtle and clean, almost zero alcohol flavor with the explosive koji flavors hiding back into nearly nonexistance. Very nice clean sake. I got to try a direct japan bottle, not an imported one. Woo!

Tried side-by-side with the Ichonokura Hyakkoi Nama Sake and Nanbu Bijin Ginjo, and the Kubota proves to be the best of the three by a considerable margin. This terrific sake reminds me of the stellar Kubota Manju in not only its aroma but its flavor. The Hekiju is lightish yellow in color, suggesting flaws perhaps, but the first whiff puts your fears to rest as you realize that you’re sipping the finest sake that Niigata has to offer (and Niigata is the most famed sake prefecture of them all!). There is virtually no alcohol nose in my Hekiju, despite its being a year past its prime. The flavor is candyish and rather sweet, not astringent. Slighly dry and masterfully crafted, like most Niigata sake. The brewmaster at Kubota clearly knows his craft as the alcohol is totally undetectable at 16%! I swear, it’s nowhere to be found! An absolutely magnificent achievement from the masters of sake brewing, Kubota! There is the faintest hint of sourness in the finish - evidence of this sake being a year past its prime (my fault). The texture is a watery one with no oily presence like that found in Gekkeikan Cap Ace. A session sake you could drink glass after glass of due to its smoothness, though the Manju is even better.