Taisetsu (Ice Dome) Junmai Ginjo Sake

Brewed by Takasago Shuzo Sake Co., Ltd.
Style: Ginjo
Asahikawa-shi, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan

300mL Bottle: Pours clear with a touch of yellowish beige through the thickest part of the glass. The nose is dry with some straw and anise notes, quite a bit of alcohol shows through but it’s still fragrant and sweet smelling with that delicious ginjo-anise note. Surprisingly so for a junmai. The flavor is a different story however; a strong koji and alcohol impact with a large acidic finish and a chewy oily mouthfeel. A drawn out tail to remind you of these things and a final snap of koji in the end. Moderate heat in the stomach and you don’t ever get the pleasant naive aroma from before you take the first sip. austinpowers set me up for disappointment but I was surprised how it wasn’t ALL bad, just mediocre in comparison to it’s 3X more expensive "big brother".

It’s hard to believe that this sake comes from the same company that makes Divine Droplets. They seem nothing related, sadly, as Divine Droplets is, well, divine. Taisetsu Ice Dome Sake is harsh, like rubbing alcohol, and it tasted particularly bad because I drank it side by side with a delicious namasake called Hachitsuru. Anyway, Taisetsu Ice Dome Sake is slightly yellowish, and has little in the way of aroma or flavor other than imagine that you’re drinking watered-down vodka.