No. 156INDEX / 321
Hinotori 2022
Aramasa Shuzo, Akita
Reviewed in H1 2023
Fifteen years of evolution, a phoenix reborn
SCOREOverall score
89pts
SPECBasic data
- Rice
- Kairyo Shinko
- Polishing ratio
- koji rice60%, kake rice (main mash rice)60%
- Alcohol
- —
- Type
- Kijoshu, Junmai (pure rice), kioke (wooden vat), kimoto (traditional starter method)
- List price
- ¥2,961
PROFILEFlavour chart
JUDGEMENTStraight-Talking Sake Judgement
TOCKY's report
Taste4.5
Aroma4.5
Value for money4.0
Numata's report
Taste4.5
Aroma4.0
Value for money3.0
NOTESNumata's tasting noteTRANSLATED
MOVIEWatch this episode
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Among the closest shapes (at most one axis off by one step), ordered by score. Re-reviews of the same sake are excluded and each brewery appears once. Where fewer than four qualify, the next closest shapes fill the gap.
PAIRINGCOMING SOON
Akita's celebrated brand Aramasa Shuzo releases its Private Lab series, built around special brewing methods. This time we introduce the 2022 vintage of Hinotori, a kijoshu (sake brewed with sake) made using Kairyo Shinko rice. The straightforward sweetness and acidity stimulate the brain and won't let your glass-tilting hand stop. It's less sweet than the usual Hinotori, and despite being a kijoshu, it's distinctively light on the palate. Behind the sweet-and-sour tang, an astringency from the kioke (wooden vat) lingers close by, elevating the flavour into something more three-dimensional.