@Starchtrade very well called out! And thank you for pointing out some mistakes I made, and also for some of the clarifications, as I didn’t realize the misinterpretations. My mistake was not proof reading it before sending, as the typing was done entirely in haste. But you make some very good points.
From reading your posts, you obviously know far far more than you allude to and your contributions and insights are invaluable (especially from the Nihonjin perspective)
From the iwaikotobuki.com link you shared, and from google translate of the specs/notes from it:
Producing area Saga prefecture · brewing source Tianyama Shuzo Co., Ltd.
“Limited liquor” which will be released once a year (only in winter)
Fragrance is moderate, fruity of berry type.
From the taste that makes you feel soft micro carbonic acid that was puffed up
Sweet and sour juicy umami spread all over mouth with elegant and detailed bubbles.
Bitter taste and astringent taste of the overflowing taste spreading throughout the mouth,
And it gathers taste firmly with spicy, and flows throat gently.
Sweet and sour juicy berry system.
As I thought, I would like to match with a refreshing slice of raw fish.
甘酸っぱくジューシーベリー系。
やはりここは白身の刺身 でサッパリと合わしたい。 (is the person writing the tasting notes alluding to that this sake may go well with shiromi/white fish sashimi or he wants to try it with such?)
Alcohol degree 16 ° · Sake in Japan +1.2 · Acidity 1.3
Used US Yamada Nishiki (Koji) Flower of Saga (hang) · Rice polishing commission 55%
This is very useful as it gives me an idea of what to expect.
My recommendation for this particular Shichida Muroka Nama Genshu and what to eat with came from two reliable people in the Japanese F&B industry where I am located (one is a chef, the other works in a known izakaya and handles the nihonshu selection, attends a lot of industry sake related events and is far more knowledgeable about sake than I can imagine).
So to be more specific and targeted, I’ll just say this will work with sushi + tsumami, but the flavors of the food would need to be stronger, so maybe a better choice at Sushi Ginza Onodera (to go with the sake lees vinegared rice, aged bluefin). I would think it would work great at Shunji, especially with the kappo style small plates he serves (many of which are built for enjoying with sake anyway).
And to be fair, every bottle of muroka nama genshu is different. The blue bottle “Born” Muroka Nama Genshu Junmai Daiginjo (mentioned before on the FTC board, e.g. that I thought it would be good to have at Aburiya Raku) 梵純米大吟醸無濾過生原酒 I’ve had before and do not think it will work with sushi/sashimi (unfortunately one “omakase” restaurant in San Francisco disagrees with me). For one thing that bottle’s alcohol content is around 18%, versus 16% for the Shichida. And it’s also around 16% for the Kirinzin Shiboritate Nama Genshu Junmai Ginjo ぽたりぽたりきりんざん 純米吟醸原酒生, as well as Kakeya Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu (as well as their Junmai Daiginjo version Noto) which I’ve had with sushi/tsumami before with interesting results, overall positive. The Born does work brilliantly with heavier flavored yakitori (tare) and soy sauce braised fish (nitsuke) which I’ve had with last year. But it has so much more viscosity and mouthfeel that it would clash with sushi/sashimi.
This is why sake is so interesting, brewers and toji’s are coming up with interesting whacky combinations that don’t conform to the mold even if you only read a label pretty quickly and look at a few numbers. This also leads to very interesting food pairings, and sometimes it’s just about experimenting with what works (and finding out what doesn’t as well in the process). For me it was initially counter intuitive to serve a nigori and a nama warmed, but I was exposed to it at a few places in Tokyo. There a number of folks also willing to go against the grain of the brewer’s recommendations (ie drink it now, at this temperature) and experiment, with very interesting results. Quite a few of these are izakaya owners too.
Have you ever had Nabeshima sake in Japan? It has a very unusual profile (and quite excellent I might add), and is also from Saga prefecture, so maybe a bit lighter tasting than the Shichida Muroka Nama Genshu Junmai Ginjo, although a similar concept. I wish Nabeshima were exported!
Also the JP cult favorite Aramasa (Akita Prefecture) sake, the 6S/6R/6X for example are all nama genshu sake but brewed with lower alcohol content (they cap at around 15%). Their color themed bottles are Kimoto Junmai polished to 50 to 60 %, and even those have a character similar to what your linked vendor’s tasting notes.
“From the taste that makes you feel soft micro carbonic acid that was puffed up
Sweet and sour juicy umami spread all over mouth with elegant and detailed bubbles.”
So this will have the signature yogurt drink like profile (or hints of), mixed in with something effervescent (but probably without the bubbles) that could remind one of drinking those Japanese marble sodas (but without the gas).
As far as “fresh sake” is concerned, technically I do not disagree with you.
However we are in the United States. The only way to taste fresh sake is if you visit say, Sequoia Sake brewery in San Francisco and get a taste right off their vat. Maybe it should be termed, “the closest we can get to the least amount of processing and retaining some sort of freshness” in that regard.
Only one way to really find out…
