Today, too, I am drinking sake alone in the dust. No, it’s not that. A friend from China is temporarily staying at my house for a while to study abroad in Japan. It would normally take a few hours to fly to Japan, but since he was coming from mainland China via Hong Kong, it would take more than a day to get to Japan. I had to go all the way to Narita to pick him up. A few days later, I asked him to accompany me on a wandering tour of the liquor stores, which also included sightseeing in Tokyo.

Since we were there, we took him to a modern liquor store and browsed as usual.

Yanma Nakadori Raw rice wine
What’s about BY
Yanma Nakadori Raw rice wine
Side Dish Hot pot

Yanma Nakadori Raw rice wine

I always have a good talk with the old man here. See you later. I’m a man who likes limited editions.

The title is very informative.

Junmai Ginjo is related to the rice polishing ratio. Nakadori（中採り） relates to whether the supernatant or the lower part was taken. Unfiltered raw sake is related to whether it is filtered and penetrated to what extent, as the kanji indicates, or whether it is wild and raw as it is. Chokuzume（直詰め） is the method and process of bottling on the spot. Shikomi（仕込み） No. 9 is an indication of how many vessels were used to make it.

What’s about BY

BY stands for brewery year, not for expiration date. 28BY = brewed in the year 2008. The 28BY = brewed in the year 2008, which is the second year of the 20th year of the 20th century. The sake brewing year begins on July 1 of the year and ends on June 30 of the following year.

There are many other ways to taste sake, but knowing each of them will give you an idea of the direction of the flavor. However, please understand that taste varies from person to person, so this is not always the case. To begin with, spicy, light, etc. are subjective to each individual, so some people may find it sweeter than others, so it is best to use your own sensibilities and not be stubborn.

It is a great item to talk about your knowledge. I have been mounting a Chinese resident by showing off my knowledge.
It’s like a bill, isn’t it? Like a seal to be unsealed.

Old caps. Don’t cut your hand.

Speaking of Yanma, the Japanese League soccer team. Is it a generation gap that I can only think of Yanmar Diesel, the predecessor of the present Cerezo Osaka, in its industrial days?

Opening Cap
Oh, it’s shwashy. Evidence of active bacteria.

The aroma is fruity and subdued. You can also see a sense of gas.

Gulp!

Yanma Nakadori Raw rice wine

The overall balance is good, and the ginjo aroma is not too strong and restrained, so the aroma is not too strong. It has a sharp finish and seems to go well with all kinds of food. It is a refreshing and food-friendly sake. The slight gasiness of the sake keeps the sweetness down and makes it refreshing to drink. It’s a good, understated sake.

I did a little research.

The “YANMA” sake, which was started on a trial basis in the 2006 brewing year, is brewed with sake rice grown in the local mountains to realize the “ultimate taste” ideal of Yoshinori Takeda, the fourth generation of the family. Only the “Nakadori” type of sake, brewed directly from the kamekuchi, is released under the name “YANMA”. After eight years of secret trial brewing, the sake was finally born in a satisfactory form, and quickly became a popular brand that is difficult to obtain.
The main brand name is “Yanma”, a sake made by “direct-filling” the best quality “Nakadori” portion, and “Koshi-no-Shiratori”, a blend of “Arabashiri”, the first pressing of the unrefined sake, and “Hitoshi”, the last pressing.
From the official website of Niigata Daiichi Shuzo

Ah! The father of the liquor store where I bought it said. He said that the sake brewery changes the brand name of the sake depending on whether it is top-quality or middle-quality, or whether it is tailings. He also said that it is always limited and “no year-round product”. Nothing in Yamama/Koshi-no-Shiratori stays the same all year long.” He said there are no regular products.