ABOUT THIS BOTTLE

Senkin Retro

Starts with an exciting rush of strong, fruity aromatics, but the overall effect is pure, elegant lightness. It packs a punch, but feels like the lightest silk against your skin. Part of the Modern series where they brew sake that complement the modern Japanese diet (i.e. any and every cuisine), Senkin's Modern Kame-no-o uses the Kame-no-o ("Turtle's tail") rice, the most distinctive of the three rice strains that Senkin Domiane uses. Senkin compares the variety to a wolf in sheep's clothing—soft, with a wild side. (On a side note, this rice variety is so delicate that they cultivate and harvest it BY HAND. Not surprising coming from a country that give massages and beer to their cows. BTW, piping Mozart into the barn for the cows' listening pleasure is apparently a myth. Yes, this saddened me as well.) As one of the early adopters of the Domaine concept, Senkin only uses rice grown within five-minutes from the brewery, and brews using the same local water used to grow the rice. It's a match meant to be. Senkin brews this sake in two expressions: the Classic and the Modern. Both the Classic Kame-no-o and the Modern Kame-no-o uses the same Kame-no-o rice, same polishing rate, and same yeast; the only element they differ is in their brewing methods. The Modern uses brewing methods backed up by Senkin's cutting-edge analysis, technique, and technology. The resulting sake has a stronger sweet-tart character, making you wonder if you were sipping a ghostly hologram of a slightly sweet white wine. This is not surprising given that the CEO, a former wine sommelier, loves German and Alsace wines. A lovely afternoon could be had doing a tasting with these two bottles if you're looking for a fun, at-home activity in these corona, and hopefully soon, post-corona days. With a whopping acidity level of 2.2, both of these sakes have a higher-than-usual amount of acidity compared to other sakes (the average is 1.3, wine is somewhere between 3–4.)—some might say it's a very white wine-like sake in this respect, making this an easy transition sake for people starting to dip their toes in the sake world, but also interesting for sake regulars as it sits in a totally different corner from other sakes out there. Of the two, the Modern series has a more showy aroma and juicy acidity, making it easier to pair with non-Japanese cuisines.