Sakura, Aachen

"Rin" is crisp like snow. The nose is a little shy at the start but offers notes of melon, anise, and red apple. The palate feels crisp but the weight of the alcohol gives the crispness a smooth rounded edge feel. Notes of honey are balanced out by acidity and astringency of the sake. It has a savory sense to the palate that makes it a great accompaniment to grilled meats (think robata with the smoky fatty meats [short ribs], a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon…). The nose wakes up as the sake gets closer to room temperature and the palate expresses more of that dark chocolate like amino as it warms. Drink it from a thin lipped glass - to get it flowing down the center of your tongue - pour small amounts so that you can notice the changes as it warms up. Absolutely worth sipping by itself but so good with umami rich foods like grilled shiitake, and bbq. This is another sake that’s great with a double dark chocolate chip cookie.