After drinking several of the Niigata/Hyogo style drier sakes, it is nice to have another of my "hometown" sakes. Well, actually, Momokawa and Oroshi are much closer to my former home but this is still Aomori-Ken. These are usually a lighter, fruitier sake than their southern counterparts. I’m not nearly as good at describing all of the subtle flavors as Jordan but he pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. Aroma wise, not much to write home about. I pick up the fruit and what I’d have called some cheesey scents (lactic sounds so much more palatable) but the rich lightly sweet, doughy flavors more than make up for the mild bouquet. Nutty follow, but I didn’t get the whole breakfast buffet! :-) Nice feel, smooth and easy going down, no rough rubbing alcohol taste here!

300mL Bottle: Pretty tough to find this one online, but there were several references, something about a special release. It pours a clear color with light beige legs and a nice spritsy character. The nose is minerally with some peach and anise, some lactic notes and a light koji grain note along with a decent amount of alcohol. The flavor is rich with umami, nice body and a light sweet candyish flavor, even though it’s only +1, which is just one single point into the sweetness side of the road, it’s very subtle and nice. The rest of the sake is really fresh and tasty but not much in the nose or floral department. Whoa, after I drank about half of this, it started tasting like walnut banana pancakes smothered in butter and maple syrup, it was delicious! Thanks Dan, you rock!