Kanbara Bride of the Fox

I chose Kanbara Bride of the Fox as a little reprieve from wine and I was certainly glad I did, it turned out to be the best alcoholic beverage I’ve ever had. Kanbara Bride of the Fox is a Junmai Ginjo Sake from the Niigata region of Japan.

When you think about Japanese culture you get the impression from all of the old art forms that are still practiced today that have evolved and been refined into a perfect science. This Sake is no different. When you look at the bottle with subtle raised lettering and textured label, to the clever name or it’s perfect clarity and colorlessness and it’s rich aromas of nuts and sweet spices, you know that someone took the time to understand the entire process and perfected it.

Smoothness only begins to describe this Sake, everything from the smell to the way it feels on your palate and the way it leaves it feeling on the aftertaste. It all fits perfectly. You get rich creaminess on the nose followed by lightly toasted nuts in front of flowers, but not just any flowers, a perfect combination of flowers that match and pair into a single unified aroma of joy.

You might think it would be hard to follow that up on the palate, and it would be, but it does just that. Everything great about the nose flows evenly right into the palate, it’s rich and creamy in your mouth, but still leaves you feeling refreshed and clean. No heat, no bitterness, nothing but delicious flavors, it’s almost exactly like what an unsweetened SoBe Lizz Blizz would taste like, except much more complex and interesting.

Quality Sake should be enjoyed slightly chilled at about 50°F in a narrow rimmed tumbler. If you think Sake might be for you, even a little bit, you owe it to yourself to pick a bottle of this up. You can get it for about $14 for a half bottle.

Color:

Colorless and completely pure.

Nose:

Beautiful cream, nuts, light flowers, super clean.

Taste:

Smooth smooth smooth, amazing and wonderful, practically no heat even with the high alcohol content. Milk, nuts, unsweetend SoBe Liz Blizz. Seriously amazing.

Score:

92^?