Ichinokura Sparkling Junmai Sake
Sparkling sake is such a decadent indulgence. It’s one of my favourite of life’s pleasures. The soft rice scent, smooth taste and fun, fizzy bubbles on my tongue. So I’m always excited to try a new sparkling sake. Read my latest exploration into the sparkling sake world with this bottle from Ichinokura.
Ichinokura Brewery
Ichinokura was originally four separate breweries. However, they joined forces in 1973 to form Ichinokura in Osaki in Miyagi prefecture. This brewery proudly eschews machinery for traditional, handmade techniques to maintain their traditions and high-quality.
Ichinokura Sparkling Junmai Sake
Traditionally, sparkling sakes are very sweet. But Ichinokura has a quite dry taste with more umami notes. This means it can be easily paired with light, savoury dishes such as creamy pasta and seafood.
The flavour is light, clean and refreshing. It’s a lovely summer sparkling sake. While many sweet sparkling sakes can be a little cloying on hot days, this is delightfully refreshing in the summer heat.
There are a few ways to create sparkling sake. This one is formed with the “In-bottle secondary fermentation method”. Active yeast is added to the sake while it is in the bottle. This creates its magical misty appearance. It also means carbon dioxide has not been added artificially to the sake.
Ichinokura describes its own texture as ‘moussey’ (thank god for English on sake bottles!). This is pretty accurate. It feels a little more velvety in the mouth than many sparkling sake alternatives. The foamy texture feels a little strange at first, but not unpleasant.
Ichinokura Sparkling Junmai Sake Tasting Notes
• Sake degree: -5.6
• Appearance: Misty
• Rice polishing: 55%
• Aroma: Some fruity notes with a little creamy yoghurt.
• Palate: Detectable pineapple and white peach tastes. The flavour is drier than many sparkling sakes. There are some earthy tastes, such as almond and oak.
This is a well-balanced, well rounded sparkling sake. Ichinokura Sparkling Junmai sake has a comfortable mid-range price point, so it is a good choice for dinner with friends and family. I would recommend bringing this as a gift for your next summer dinner party host. I’m sure they will be pleasantly delighted.
Want to read more sake reviews? Please keep up to date with Kanpai Drinks. Want even more? Follow me on Instagram at hellokanpaidrinks
