Sake Tasting Notes

Sake rewards the same systematic approach as wine but punishes the same assumptions. The categories (Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo, Nigori) are defined by production method and rice polishing ratio, not by region or grape variety. The rice variety and water source matter enormously, but you won't read them on most labels exported to the West.

I started keeping formal tasting notes in 2024, cross-referencing against the origin prefecture, the sake meter value (SMV), and the rice polishing ratio. The goal is not expertise — it's pattern recognition. Niigata Junmai Daiginjo from a cold-water region tends toward a clean dry finish. Hiroshima sake, brewed with soft water, tends toward the floral and approachable.