As blogging becomes something people seem to be interested again, I find myself actually thinking about it the way I used to. And here we are, getting right back into a groove.
I managed to pick up two more small-format futsushu in the last week or so, so here you go!
The first is Nishiki Sekai Josen from Takeuchi Shuzojo, the only brewery in Hofu city and quickly becoming one of my favorites in Yamaguchi. Takeuchi balances this very old-school feeling with truly well-crafted sake. This josen is, without exaggeration, a sake I could happily drink every day. It’s big flavored, sweet but not heavy, deep but not distracting, and so, so satisfying. I wouldn’t dare chill it, because that would dull its charms, but from room temperature up to atsukan it’s just a treasure.
Cup Musume Josen from Iwasaki Shuzo in Hagi. Known for Choyo Fukumusume, Iwasaki is one of the six Hagi GI breweries at the center of creating that particular classification. Though the brewer once told me he’s hoping to go fully junmai, this old fashioned josen is still around. This one gives me a sense of what Hagi sake used to be like–rich and sweet, almost cloying, but still geared for meals. Like any josen, this is best warm, but I think for a lot of sake drinkers it’s veering toward the “avoid” side. The finish lingers overlong even for me, but it stays just this side of unpleasantly heavy. This isn’t one I’ll be seeking out, but if I saw it on the menu I might go for it.
Yamaguchi Sake 
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