Kinoshita Shuzo Reviews

KyotoLefty	3.7 Tamagawa Brewery Cat Label "Myaa 5" Junmai Gingo Sake My first new Tamagawa rate in ages, celebrating my 1000th sake rating! Clear, colorless. Icy. Dusty, slightly barnyard nose of rice, light stone fruits and citrus, apple. Flavor is mild, dusty, dry, old school. Light sweetness. I get a sense of the house yeast working. Not exciting or huge, but very tasty and earthy, makes me think a lot of sake was like this in the old days. Good, but more importantly, interesting and unique. Wednesday, November 8, 2023
austinpowers	4.2 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake "Red Label" Bottle from True Sake, San Francisco. Color: more yellowish than most sakes. Somewhat sweet with a cotton candy taste. Hints of plum. Smooth and relatively high quality namasake. Sunday, January 8, 2023
KyotoLefty	3.6 Tamagawa Nigori Sake Bottle from Isetan. Milky, hazy greyish-white. Milky aroma, rice, vanilla, lactic acid, pears, apples. Sweet rice flavor, pudding, cream, vanilla, Asian pear, coconut, light cinnamon and nutmeg. Full but not heavy. Decent stuff, not too thick and heavy, but not as good as the yamahai version. Saturday, March 13, 2021
KyotoLefty	3.9 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Yamadanishiki Muroka Nama Genshu Sake Oh yeah. 720 ml bottle from the brewery. Brewed in 2017 by. First time with Yamadanishiki. Acidic, lactic, fruity rice nose. Grains, lemon, yogurt, apple, light chocolate. Very tart flavor. Green apple, grainy rice, vanilla, yogurt. Also berries, light chocolate, booze for sure. Wild. Very unique. Super intense and maybe loses some drinkability from that. Love though, if challenging. Soft, silky body. Tuesday, January 28, 2020
KyotoLefty	4 Tamagawa Gohyakumangoku Junmai Ginjo Tetsukezu Genshu 720 ml bottle from the brewery. Viscous, clear pour. Nose is rich rice, kimono style funky acid, a touch of caramel, apple. Flavor starts with bright, acidic citrus and green apple, then rice, vanilla, light caramel, finish with a bit of Sprite. Fun stuff. Huge, full body. Tuesday, January 7, 2020
KyotoLefty	4.1 Kinoshita Shuzo Tamagawa 2018 Shuppinshu Daigonjo Sake 500 ml bottle from the brewery. Huge, spicy ginjo-ka nose, kloji, cedar, pepper, orange, apple. Clear, icy. Crisp, fruity, spicy and dry. Light and delicate, with apricot, citrus, apple. Lovely. Tuesday, December 31, 2019
KyotoLefty	3.7 Tamagawa Nakakumi Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake 720 ml bottle from the brewery. Pours an icy off-white, slightly yellowish. Nose is lactic, yogurt, rice, light vanilla apple, booze. Tart lactic acid flavor, rice, creamy yogurt, apple. Kimoto I think they said, though it seems more like yamahai. Prickly finish, slightly boozy at 21-22%! Fresh, creamy, great as always, though it can’t really match their properly aged versions. Monday, December 30, 2019
KyotoLefty	4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Honjozo Muroka Nama Genshu Sake 720 ml bottle from the brewery. Nose is fresh and fruity, with orange, melon, pears, plus yogurty yamahai lactic acid and rice. The slightest yellow tint in clear, slightly viscous sake. Bright, rich, creamy flavor just blows you away. Big lactic acid, with yogurt, caramel, toffee notes, rich vanilla rice pudding, and then apples, grapes and alcohol heat. Smooth, silky, oily. By far the best honjozo class sake I have ever had. And probably the best value in Japan at ¥1360 for this 21% sake. Really, really nice. Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Ysok02	4.6 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake "Red Label" Robe légèrement dorée, mais toujours cristalline. Le nez est d'une puissance et d'une rare complexité, champignons frais, mousserons, pomme golden, châtaignes, noisettes, amandes. La bouche est dans la même lignée, puissante tout en restant élégante, concentrée et d'une longueur kilométrique. Un monument de race et d'élégance. Monday, May 13, 2019
KansaiBeerLvrs	3.5 Tamagawa Sake Tamagawa cup sake Clear color with a fruity yeasty yoghurt aroma, smooth and a good example of what a straightforward sake should be. I’ve been told this is the best cup sake in Japan and retails like 250¥, based on the few I’ve tried this was by far superior. 3.5-3.6 ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone Monday, December 31, 2018
KyotoLefty	3.8 Tamagawa Omachi Junmai Ginjo Sake Taster at Kuboshima. Brewing year 2015. Yellow tinted, oily. Looks aged. Shiny. Oxidized nose of perfumed rice and stewed stone fruits. Very dry, with some vanilla, rice, stone fruits. This has become a very dry finishing koshu, basically. Very nice like a dry sherry. Monday, February 26, 2018
KyotoLefty	3.9 Tamagawa Nakakumi Junmai Ginjo Sake Glass. Fruity nose, peaches, melon. rich and fruity flavor with a nice balancing tartness. Fresh and rich, with a big, lovely palate. Great. Sunday, January 7, 2018
KyotoLefty	3.4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake Bottle from Yamamoto. Funky nose of lactic acid, rice, woody spices, light citrus. Oily with a yellow tint. Woody rice flavor, lots of umami and some lemon. Rich, funky, very old fashioned tasting. A bit stiff compared to their wonderful Yamahai versions. Wednesday, November 1, 2017
cgarvieuk	3.8 Tamagawa Tokubetsu Junmai Sake Bottle at sakagura.. (blue circle round2) . Light yellow.... Soft sweet floral fruit.. Light pineapple nose... Juicy fruits.. Light dry fruits.. Light pineapple... Soft sweet pineapple.. Quite dry Saturday, October 28, 2017
Marheb	4.3 Tamagawa Fukubukuro Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu Sake (Une bouteille lors de mon périple au Japon en décembre 2016): Melon miel, coconut, miel floral dans une riche texture qui trouve néanmoins une façon d'être sec et même amer. Superbe. Tuesday, September 5, 2017
douglas88	3.7 Tamagawa Ice Breaker Sake Big old bottle at Jam. Pours a clear light yellow color. A big fruity nose. Lovely flavor, no heat, very sweet fresh perfume and floral fruit, pear. Light biscuit rice grainy flavors. Very smooth. Thursday, July 13, 2017
Leighton	4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Omachi Muroka Nama Genshu Sake Bottle at Jam - Kyoto. Pours totally clear. The nose has a little musty note, slightly funky, hay, lemon rind. Medium sweet flavour with hearty alcohol, ripe melon, angel food cake. Full bodied, oily and lightly chewy. Quite warm in the finish, some creamy frosting. Very drinkable. Dangerously so. Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Jow	3.4 Tamagawa Tokubetsu Junmai Sake Bottle pour at Sakagura. Pale white wine colored pour. Nose is oak and vinous. Tastes of chardonnay, floral, cantaloupe, pancake batter, and rice milk. Thinner bodied and enjoyable especially for style Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Beerhunter111	3.5 Tamagawa Time Machine 1712 Many thanks to Erzengel for sharing! Pours clear dark golden colour. Aroma of sweet grains, rice, riped yellow fruits, very dry. Taste of ripe yellow fruits, quite sweet, strong, rice, alcoholic finish. Thursday, March 9, 2017
Erzengel	3.4 Tamagawa Time Machine 1712 Bottle from The Whisky Exchange . Slight amber in colour, the nose is rich and fruity. Peaches and woody sourness. The Saké starts extreme intense and fruity. Very interesting and deep, lots of yellow sweetish fruits, hints of alcohol and fermented peaches, light wood, fruity acidity. The aftertaste is deep and fruity, sticky sweetish with ripe sticky peaches, hard to describe but full-flavoured with a sweetish-dry aftertaste that lasts quite long. Very interesting sweetish-fruity brew. Sunday, February 12, 2017
KyotoLefty	3.7 Tamagawa Shiboritate Nama Genshu Sake 1.8 liter bottle at Okariba. Clear. Rounded mellow nose with some vanilla, peach and orange. Great rice, full, fruity, a light touch of lactic acid. Very smooth and tasty and fresh. quite full and nice. Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Marheb	3.9 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Vintage Junmai Sake (Bouteille à JAM Sake Bar): Sauce soya/sauce poisson/menthe dans une proportion 65/25/10, l’umami explosif et une finale doucement astringente et oxydée. Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Marheb	4.1 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake "Red Label" (Bouteille à JAM Sake Bar): Riche châtaigne longuement rôties, de l’iode, une grosse charpente mais une belle sécheresse. Délicieux et unique. Tuesday, December 27, 2016
TimE	4.3 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Gohyakumangoku Sake lots of lactic acid with yogurt and bananas. The mouth shows tons of banana, wasabi, yogurt, super funky, mildly sweet, decent acidity, rounded and smooth. Unbelievable depth. Just out of this world Sunday, November 27, 2016
KyotoLefty	3.5 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Yanwari Junmai Genshu Sake Glass at Komachi. Orange tint, oily. Very ricy, koji nose. Not very acidic or funky. A bit of acidity in the flavor, sweet, peaches, rice, a bit of yogurt. This was there junmai fermented to a lower attenuation, thus the lower alcohol and resulting sweetness. It’s ok, but nothing like the real thing. Don’t bother. Wednesday, November 9, 2016
KyotoLefty	3.7 Tamagawa Hiyaoroshi Yamahai Sake Bottle from Takashimaya. Meaty, smooth yogurt nose, a bit of alcohol burn, peaches. Oily and thick looking with a yellow tint. Smooth and full, lots of umami, nice yamahai acidity, lactic. A bit boozy but mellow body from the age. Good drinking stuff and great value. Monday, October 10, 2016
Oakes	3.7 Tamagawa Ice Breaker Sake Clear. Toasty, grainy, but light aroma, has an earthy characters, has a refreshing finish that has a hit of alcohol as well. Monday, July 4, 2016
Ferris	2.9 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake Bottle - Light bready yeast and rice. Clear. Sweet and a bit boozy with some creamy yeasty notes. Light burn and earthy or mushroom finish. Thursday, June 30, 2016
beerplace	2.4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake 720ml bottle at Matt’s. Aroma and taste are fresh bakers yeasts, grainy, some bready and fermented rice notes. Boozy. Thursday, June 30, 2016
fiulijn	3 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake Tasting at Matt’s, 21-22% ABV Pale, but darker than other Sakes. Nice aroma, rather strong than delicate; floral, alcohol, mild melon. Smooth mouthfeel, quite sweet, full bodied; a lot of booze, Band Aid, and a weird bitter character in the final. Not exactly exciting, but very weird. Thursday, June 30, 2016
Oakes	3 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake Slight greenish note. Light ricey nose, just a touch of koji. Alcohol is a bit strong, rice, and a light koji. Not picking up spontaneous fermentation much. Slightly toasty rice finish. Thursday, June 30, 2016
mcberko	2.9 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Stork Label Junmai Sake 750mL bottle, pours a clear white with a few bubbles. Aroma is quite milky, with lots of steamed rice with some residual sugar, and a little pear. Flavour is shy on any funk, with prominent alcohol and subdued rice notes with low residual sweetness. Finishes almost bitter, with loads of alcohol. Not being a usual sake rater, it’s difficult to compare, but this seems quite boozy and lacking in depth. Thursday, June 30, 2016
GT	3.8 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Genshu White Label Sake 720mL bottle from Yamamoto, Kyoto. Clear pour with thick legs. Clean and neutral nose at first opening up with honeysuckle, sweet cantaloupe, and coconut. Taste is dry, oaky, chardonnay-like, there’s white grape acid. Overall it is mildly tart and a bit thin for me. Finish is slightly too watery. Saturday, June 4, 2016
GT	4.2 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake "Red Label" Taster at JAM, Kyoto. Clear pour. Super funky nose...in the lacto and yogurt realm. Taste is more yogurt and lactic acid piling on, fermenting/overripe black cherry comes through. Mouthfeel is medium and the finish is quick. Everything about this sake is fun and unique. I think for those that think all sakes are created equal, Tamagawa will turn that upside down. Saturday, June 4, 2016
GT	3.9 Tamagawa Sake 180mL Tama Cup version from Takimoto, Kyoto. Thanks KyotoLefty for the recommendation! Pours unclear yellowish with watery viscosity as expected. Nose brings in that typical hondeydew and cantaloupe melon common to sake. The flavor though is more impressive: extremely easy to drink with no warming alcohol, mild sweetness, and an oily and rich body especially for sake. Spicy mid palate with a heavier mouthfeel. Neutral, clean finale. Super refreshing in sips even despite its big ABV and almost scarily crushable. If you are looking for the ultimate pre-game, slam a Tama Cup. Tuesday, May 31, 2016
KansaiBeerLvrs	3.8 Tamagawa Shiboritate Nama Genshu Sake Tasting set at Jam. Shiboritate Nama Genshu 18-19% beautiful clearness that looks refreshing. Rice, nuttiness and waxy fruit in the aroma. The taste is very earthy, nutty and rich - good. Looks like I am a namasake kind of guy as the one’s I’ve tried I’ve rated highly. Friday, December 18, 2015
KyotoLefty	4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Kimoto) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake Bottle from takimoto. Funky rice nose, rich and grainy, light caramel and cream. Full creamy fkaovr, vanilla, rice pudding, caramel. Super full, thick, oily body. Alcohol is well present at 21+. Very peppery finish. lovely,tho the nose is just a bit faint. Monday, December 15, 2014
GenDV138	3.5 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu Sake "Red Label" Bottle at Beer Komachi shared by KyotoLefty. Crystal clear. Aromas of vanilla, booze, berries, sweet rice. Tastes of booze, vanilla, caramel. Light body with a dry, warm boozy finish. Thursday, December 11, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.5 Tamagawa Sake Tama cup from Takimoto. Slight yellowish tint. Lightly spicy aroma, cedar, a bit of yamahai acidity, rice. The acidity shows up more in the flavor, with some orange and melon plus pepper and spice, and a touch of vanilla. Light but s ooth body. Gpod balanced sweetness. Nothing like their better sakes, but pretty damn good for a low price honjozo. Thursday, December 4, 2014
KansaiBeerLvrs	3.5 Tamagawa Hitokui Iwai Tokubetsu Honjozo Sake Sample in Umekoji at the Kyoto Yasai Festival. A light yellow tint on a clear pour darker than the Junmai Ginjo Iwai. It had a surprising strawberry aroma while the flavor was a clean strawberry cream flavor, semi-sweet with a dry finish. Interesting. Monday, November 3, 2014
KansaiBeerLvrs	3.4 Tamagawa Iwai Junmai Ginjo Sake Sample in Umekoji at the Kyoto Yasai Festival. A light golden tinted clear color with a very fruity nose that has that classic sake aroma. The taste is sweet with a syrupy mouthfeel and the classic sake taste with some heat in the finish. Decent. Monday, November 3, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.9 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Hiyaoroshi Sake 720ml bottle from Yamamoto. Slightly yellowish color, a bit oily. Lightly funky nose, spices, light lactic acid. Flavor of funky, yogurt, lemon, rice, caramel, dashi. Funky. Nice light sweetness. silky, oily light body. Interesting fruitiness too. Another wild yeast wonder by Phillip Harper. Thursday, October 30, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.8 Tamagawa Yamahai Nigori Junmai Sake 720 ml bottle from Takimoto. Cloudy white, not exactly thick, separates a bit from the watery part. Lemony, creamy nose, rice, koji. Very nice flavor, with acid and citrus notes, some stone fruits and esters, and a creamy vanilla yogurt-like aspect form the yamahai process. Yamahai character is not huge, but the tang balances the thickness of the sediment quite well, making it a very nice nigori. Not overly sweet either. Quite luscious. Sunday, September 21, 2014
KyotoLefty	4.2 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Omachi Muroka Nama Genshu Sake Taster at Jam. Nose is roasted rice, like when it gets burnt in the kettle, caramel, some cream. Flavor is, shockingly, hugely fruity and acidic, orange, lemon, green apple, very tart, almost sour. Lovely fruit, lovely acidity, and that roasted rice graininess all the way. A fabulous yamahai. Saturday, August 9, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.8 Tamagawa Iwai Junmai Ginjo Sake Bottle from Takashimaya Kyoto. Yellow and clear. Ricy nose, acid, light vanilla and milk, some caramel. Fruity, acidic flavor. Full-on rice. Nice balance with fill rice sweetness and acid and alcohol. Flavors of orange, melon, cream. Good stuff. Could be a touch drier, but an excellent junmai, with wild yeast I presume. Monday, July 7, 2014
KyotoLefty	3.6 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Vintage Junmai Sake Glass at Jam. This was a 4 year old bottle. Lightly yellow, shiny, oily. Aged, oxidized nose, mizuame, soy sauce, caramel. Rounded and fruity, with mizuame, soy sauce, caramel. Light a crisp for a koshu. Nice. Sunday, December 15, 2013
KyotoLefty	4 Tamagawa Shizen Shikomi (Yamahai) Junmai Genshu White Label Sake Bottle from Yamamoto. Slightly yellow color, oily. Big rice nose, caramel, vanilla, rice candy. Rich and full. Suoer complex falvor. Tart fruits, acid, vanilla, toffee, rice, butter, rice candy. Crazy. Full body. Burning hot alcohol. Very interesting, lovely stuff. Somehow manages to finish dry. Dry and fruity and hot. Saturday, July 27, 2013
KyotoLefty	3.9 Tamagawa Ice Breaker Sake Taster at Jam. Oily, icy looking. Candy-like nose, rice, mizuame, alcohol burn, stewed fruit, light vanilla. Sweet caramel flavor, vanilla, very complex, slightly funky. Excellent. Wednesday, July 10, 2013
jbeatty	3.2 Tamagawa Tokubetsu Junmai Sake Bottle, 06/08/2013. Pours with a yellowish tinge, vinous appearance, not the typical almost-clear pour of some other sakes. Aroma is soft rice vinegar (in a pleasant way), light cantaloupe, ginger, rice finish. Taste is tangy dark berries, heavy sweet rice, a bit hot in the finish. Thick, liqueur-like body, interesting. Not bad, goes well with food where it takes on some richer flavors. Saturday, June 8, 2013
jbeatty	3.8 Tamagawa Daiginjo Muroka Nama Genshu Sake Bottle purchased from Tanakaya in Tokyo, 09/23/2012. Pours perfectly clear. Clean aroma of crisp green apple, peach, light underlying sourness, mineral notes, rice. Taste is mildly sour, green apple and grape, light tropical quality, sweet clean finish with rice, some heat. Full, smooth body. Very nice sake. Sunday, September 23, 2012