Choya Sake Gold Label Japanese Sake 50 cl 14.5%

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.

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Frequently asked questions about Choya Sake Gold Label Japanese Sake 50 cl 14.5%

Does a 50 cl bottle cover dinner for two?

Yes, with room to spare. Sake is poured into small cups of 4-6 cl, so the bottle holds around ten pours, which works out at five each across a meal. If you are pouring for more than two, or want it to run from starter to dessert, the larger bottle is the right call.

Is Choya Sake Gold Label a good place to start if you have never drunk sake?

Yes. The fruit character and the light sweetness make it easy to read from the first sip, and there are no sharp edges or heavy fermentation notes that need getting used to. The dry base also means you do not tire of it halfway through the bottle.

What does it mean for a sake to be dry?

That little residual sugar is left after fermentation. A dry sake tastes of fruit and grain rather than sweetness and reads cleaner on the palate. Gold Label sits at the dry end but carries enough fruit that it never comes across as austere.

Why does a sake made from rice taste of melon and almond?

Because those aromas are created during fermentation rather than added as ingredients. The yeast strain and the koji mould produce esters and other aroma compounds close to fruit and nuts, exactly as the yeast in a white wine builds notes of apple and peach. There is neither melon nor almond in the bottle.

Which serving temperature brings the fruit out best?

Lightly chilled, somewhere between fridge temperature and a touch warmer. The cold tightens the sweetness and lets the melon and fresh fruit step forward, whereas heat would pull the almond and grain out instead. Take the bottle out shortly before serving so it is not ice cold.

Does it work as a gift?

Yes, particularly for someone curious about Japanese food and drink, or who arrived at sake by way of Japanese Whisky. The 50 cl format is manageable, Choya is a name most people recognise from umeshu, and the flavour is approachable enough that the recipient needs no prior knowledge of sake to get something out of it.