Choya Sake

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  Choya Sake Gold Label Japan 75 cl 14,5%

  Item no.: 22227865479-1106-19501

  Three quarters of a litre, a flask in the middle of the table and a dinner that runs long. The kind of bottle that is not empty after the starter but stays the course, and that changes character depending on whether it reaches the cup cold or warm.

  The expert's description

  Choya Sake Gold Label Japan 75 cl 14.5% is a Japanese Sake brewed from rice and water and bottled at 14.5%.

  The name on the label belongs to Choya in Osaka, the house that is the world's largest producer of umeshu. Umeshu is made from the ume fruit, a relative of the apricot and the plum with markedly higher acidity, and that experience with acid and fruit leaves a clear mark on the house sake. Gold Label is the soft, dry expression, and this bottling sits at a higher strength than the house's other sake.

  In the glass it is pale yellow. The nose is restrained, with melon, almond and red rice, and the palate is fresh with a light sweetness and a fruity character, the dry base holding everything together. There are no heavy fermentation notes or sharp edges, and that is precisely why it can accompany a whole meal without tiring the palate.

  The 75 cl bottle is the larger of the two sizes Gold Label comes in. This is the format for the table rather than for two: enough to open as an aperitif, carry on through sashimi and grilled fish, and warm the last measure at the end so you get both sides of it in one evening.

  Tasting notes

  Nose

  Pale and restrained on the nose as well. Melon and almond sit side by side, and beneath them a dry, faintly grainy tone off the red rice.

  Palate

  Soft the whole way, with a sweetness that is more a suggestion than a statement. The fruit fills out the middle, and a dry base keeps it from turning round and heavy. Served warm, the almond steps forward and the sweetness falls back.

  Finish

  Clean and fairly short. The dry tone lingers longest, and it is exactly that tone which makes you reach for another sip alongside the food.

  Specifications

  Name: Choya Sake Gold Label Japan 75 cl 14.5%
  Producer: Choya
  Region/Country: Osaka, Japan
  Type: Japanese Sake
  ABV: 14.5%
  Size: 75 CL
  EAN no.: 4017871800031
  Serving suggestion: Lightly chilled as an aperitif or with sushi and fish dishes, and warmed with hot food
  

  Flavour profile

  Fresh · Fruity · Lightly sweet · Soft · Dry

  Did you know?

  Sake is served across a wider temperature range than any other everyday drink, and Japanese has its own word for each step. Hitohada-kan means skin temperature and sits around 35 degrees, while atsu-kan is the hot serve at around 50 degrees.

  See our full range of Sake and Shochu

  • 20,00
    1pcs.
    17,50EUR
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  Choya Sake Gold Label Japanese Sake 50 cl 14.5%

  Item no.: 22227865479-1106-19500

  Half a litre is enough for two people and a plate of sushi. Pale yellow in the glass, melon and almond on the nose, and a bottle that slots into the fridge door without taking up room. This is the sake you open on a Wednesday, not the one you save for an occasion.

  The expert's description

  Choya Sake Gold Label Japanese Sake 50 cl 14.5% is a Japanese Sake brewed from rice and water and bottled at 14.5%.

  Choya is headquartered in Osaka and best known as the world's largest producer of umeshu, the Japanese liqueur made from the ume fruit. Ume is related to the apricot and the plum, but its acidity runs considerably higher, and that acidity is what the house built its name on. Gold Label is the sake carrying the Choya name, and it sits at the soft, dry end of the scale.

  The colour is pale yellow. The nose gives mild notes of melon, almond and red rice, and the palate is fresh with a light sweetness and a clear fruit character. It is an easy sake to get into, because the fruit does the work for you, while the dry base stops the sweetness from turning sticky. This release of Gold Label is bottled at a higher strength than the house's other sake.

  The 50 cl format is the smaller of the two sizes the bottle comes in. It suits the evening where you are not pouring for a whole table but do want something cold alongside two servings of sashimi, and it chills right through in under an hour because there is less liquid to bring down.

  Tasting notes

  Nose

  Melon first, soft and lightly watery in the good sense. Then almond, dry and nutty, and behind it a gentle grain sweetness off the rice.

  Palate

  Fresh entry with a sweetness that never turns tacky. The fruit is clear, the melon carries over from the nose, and underneath it all sits a dry base holding the whole thing in balance. The alcohol is barely noticeable.

  Finish

  Short and clean. The sweetness lets go quickly and leaves a dry, faintly nutty tone that readies the mouth for the next bite.

  Specifications

  Name: Choya Sake Gold Label Japanese Sake 50 cl 14.5%
  Producer: Choya
  Region/Country: Osaka, Japan
  Type: Japanese Sake
  ABV: 14.5%
  Size: 50 CL
  EAN no.: 4017871800215
  Serving suggestion: Lightly chilled with sushi, sashimi and light fish dishes
  

  Flavour profile

  Fresh · Fruity · Lightly sweet · Soft · Dry

  Did you know?

  In Japan you never pour for yourself. You fill the cup of the person beside you, and they fill yours back. That is also why the cups are so small: there has to be a constant reason to reach for the flask again.

  See our full range of Sake and Shochu

  • 13,25
    1pcs.
    11,50EUR