Junmai Ginjo Sake, 'Asian Beauty - Super Dry', Toyo Bijin

Brewery: Sumikawa Shuzo • Prefecture: Yamaguchi • Rice: Yamada Nishiki milled to 55% • Sake Meter Value: +15 • Acidity: 1.6 • ABV: 15%

• Light fruit, very dry, cinnamon notes.
• Initial fruity sensation of melon and banana, shifts to a spicy-dry finish of cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Balance of fruit and spice makes for a terrific pairing with richer foods like a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, roast pork loin or otoro sashimi.
• Best served slightly chilled at 50F.

A bit of a stretch for brewer-owner Sumikawa-san, this Junmai Ginjo steps outside of his normally luscious and full bodied style to produce a sake that starts with gorgeous tropical fruit of melon and banana and then shifts to a rippingly dry finish that evokes allspice and nutmeg.  The fruit notes are coaxed out of Yamada Nishiki rice milled to 55% and Sumikawa-san’s careful brewing preserves those nuances while coaxing out the uniquely spicy finish. That balance of fruit and spice makes for a terrific pairing with richer foods like otoro sashimi, tonkotsu ramen or roast pork loin.

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