Juyondai Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjou

Juyondai Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjou

I had quite a few different series of Juyondai by now, but never once I tried their Junmai Daiginjou, so last night dining at Ki Sho was a perfect excuse to open a bottle of Juyondai Yamadanishiki. Banshu is the old name of Harima Region in Hyogo, which is known to make the best Yamadanishiki. The rice polishing ratio is 35% while the alcoholic content was 15%. We are not aware of any 720ml bottles exist, as all our stocks are 1800ml big format. A whiff and three obvious characters stand out: moderately strong rice fragrance, floral fragrance and addictive sweetness. A sip and I was already sold on the content; softness and purity are the two key points. All Juyondai seems to share the same common characters of sweetness, just a matter of how many shades of sweetness. The very feminine style and softness of the sake really give this Yamadanishiki its own characteristics, and perhaps it’s one of the most distinctive character for the series of Juyondai sake.