Rihaku (Dreamy Clouds) Junmai Tokubetsu Nigori Sake

Brewed by Rihaku Shuzo Co.
Style: Saké - Nigori
Matsue-shi, Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Serve in Guinomi, Masu, Ochoko

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Had with sushi. Fruity, melons, grainy finish, pears, very nice, creamy texture. This was very good, one of the better sakes I have had.

bottle dated December 2011.
coconut milk appearance. rice hulls, sweet chemical cleaner solutions, sweet vinegar, milk and paper mache in the nose. medium body, syrupy middle, astringency, husky and acidic finish. oily as expected, but also very hot and boozy in the finish.

Pours a hazy white color. Mouthfeel is not overly chalky but does have some protein. Notes of nuts, steamed rice, fruits, and fresh air. Not bad.

Bottle dated March of 2012 (I am assuming packaging date). Pours with a hazy milky white hue with a lot of fine particles, but thankfully no chunks. Some legs. Aroma is pretty bland, some minerals, koji, a good kick of fusel. Low fruity notes. Flavors are equally bland. Some banana, light stonefruit, minerals, mild salinity, lychee (the sort of meaty aspect of it), unripe plums. Starchy, nutty, low vanilla, strong alcohol. Moderate to slightly fuller heft to the body, still, warming, low burn. Decently dry nigori.

Bottle (shaken, not stirred). No head (still). Body is cloudy white. Aroma is a strong note of sweat socks and mold, other notes of vitamin B, rice milk, vinegar, melon rind. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery/gritty texture, no carbonation, moderately alcoholic, lightly astringent. Phew. Really unpleasant moldy/musty odor of stinky feet, vinegar, and raw vitamin B. Not as opaque and bright white as others I’ve tried, like very heavily diluted milk. Not as sweet as most either, which is a good thing. Still, overall it’s pretty repulsive due to the aroma.

Name: Dreamy Clouds
Date: November 03, 2011
Mode: Bottle
Source: 5 Seasons Sake Dinner
Appearance: cloudy white, viscous with legs
Aroma: sweet rice aroma, light fruityness
Body: creamy body
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, light acidity, light bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

The bottle is a few years old, date 09.2006, probably bought in Texas in Jan 2007
There is quite some sediment in the bottle, and even if it was standing upright for years, some of it pours into the glass; the liquid has a very light yellow/pink hue. The aroma is deep; some watermelon, sweet, alcohol, almonds. The mouthfeel is very smooth, with some rice flavor and rice starch, rather sweet, light watermelon and plums, balanced alcohol feeling. Warming. Very good.

Bottle at Ungstrup’s - Thanks to Jens. Murkey white (Milkey) - no head. Rice, fruity, sharpness, ok bitterness, minerals, light chlorid/svømmehal. Ok - but not totally fresh.

Bottle. Nose is pronounced fruit -- pear, apple, and a touch of light herbal. Pours a cloudy white with slight green highlights. Flavor is sharpish -- definite nutty and grainy flavors, but with a camphor or wintergreen edge. A little boozy. The pear comes back on the finish. Good.

Bottled. A milky white sake. The aroma has notes of rice. The flavor is sweet with notes of rice, alcohol, and cedar wood, leading to a dry finish where all the flavor ingredients lingers for a long time. Thanks fiulijn for this one.