Ozeki (Champion) Hana Awaka (Sparkling Flower) Sake

Brewed by Ozeki Co. (Japan)
Style: Saké - Namasaké
Nishinomiya, HYOGO Prefecture, Japan

Serve in Guinomi, Masu, Ochoko

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Bottle. Pours near transparent with shades of of gold around the edges. Subtle aroma of berries, yeast, creme brulee ice cream. Crisp and refreshing. Sake, eh? More along the lines of a wine cooler. Finishes with an interesting lacto tartness.

Bottle: Sparkling! Clear with no legs. Nose of koji and must, subtle strawberry and carbon dioxide. The flavor is sweet and fruit, nice balance, clean koji. Nothing really sake-like about it, just straight up sweet and bubbly like a nice sipping wine cooler. Non-sake lovers will love not to hate this one!

Took a photo that I will send in tomorrow. Pours a clear color with a fizzy tiny head that actually lasts. Nose is fruity and of coconut. Taste is sweet and refreshing with lots of fruit and sugar. Not bad, very interesting and at 7% it goes down like water.

Dynamite stuff - a bit citrusy, very sweet, like a Sprite. Competes well w/my faves of Moon Rabbit, Star Rabbit, Hou Hou Shu & Poochi Poochi. This one’s hard to find and comes in a pink bottle - sparkling w/touch of nigori, as I recall.

Bottle from chinese supermarket, 250ml. Aroma is typical peary slightly alcoholic thin and hints of sweetness. Taste is better than expected though, sweetish and floural hints of rasberry as i drink it, a not bad sake but im not the biggest fan.

Near transparant, ever so slightly yellowish tinted; sparkling is apparent, but not very powerful. Dry nose, watercolour paint, fine Manzanilla sherry; further peanut aroma and blossoms in the background. Very unsettling taste for a sake - or one I never experienced before - sweetish, with a fizzy mouthfeel. Imagine carbonated dry sherry, with an ever so slight adding of - rosewater, lytchee, raspberry or even soft lime. Unsettling, as I said. Quite fizzy. Original - not my favourite.

250 ml bottle from City Market in Burlington VT (January 2008) served out of the fridge from a White Winter Winery glass. Fizzy, 7-Up sparkling, large-bubbled, clear, with bubbles continuing to flow to the surface for a few minutes after opening.....coconut-buttercream aroma, frosting, caky, sweet and delightful, perhaps a hint of sweet riciness....really sweet and candyish on the tongue at first, a bit like bubblegum, with some nice tropical/pitted fruit hints (peaches, coconuts, kiwi); dries out a bit in midpalate, with a sparkling, effervescent and soda-like finish. Super-drinkable; I could probably pound back a 40 of this without thinking, alcohol is nowhere present, it’s like drinking a tropical Japanese soda or light sparkling coconut milk. I find it pretty irresistable and tasty, if forgettable and quite simple. If this were cheaper, it would become a regular libation for me I suspect.

UPDATED: SEP 10, 2007 This pours a creamy, off clear color w/ a spritzy froth that retreats quickly. Bubbles the size of beachballs cling to the sides of the glass. There are Champagne sized streamers present. This is odd. The aroma is slightly buttery w/ crispy sweet overtones. Light nectar w/ a persistant effervescence. This is a sparkling sake for sure. The flavors are moderately sweet w/ buttery nuances of melon, citrus, peach, vanilla, kiwi, pineapple. The finish lingers w/ a defined sweetness yet is slightly balanced w/ a mild tartness. I would actually drink this over a cheap Asti any day.