Beau-Zone Layer – Atago No Matsu
Miyagi Prefecture
Tokubetsu Honjozo
SMV: +5 Acidity: 1.7
Gosh darn I love this sake! And look at the price point. Are you kidding me? There are 50 different sakes on our shelves that are blushing in embarrassment as this brew punches way above its category weight class. Yes, it is made by a 26 year-old super star female Toji (Iwao Niizawa) who won the Brewer of The Year for 2022. Yes, it is Honjozo milled to 60%. And yes the brewery wrote this on the label, “Ultimate Food Sake.” The only “No” that I can think about for this sake is that it’s hard to say “No” as you finish the bottle. I love the fact that this is Honjozo sake, because there are many out there who frown at these lesser brews. Look what they are missing – smooth, light, round, creamy, layered, and sneaky dry sake that is perfectly balanced. And how cool is this retro throwback old school label. I didn’t want to write about this brew for Beau-Zone for selfish reasons. Shhhhh don’t tell anybody.