Ten-On Haru no Tsuki

About

This spring's Haru no Tsuki is strong, with a clean finish (kire) and a dry, rich character. It recalls the sharpness and strength of Kaoru from my first and second years as toji, combined with the sweetness and amino acids produced by three-day koji (mikka koji). It has developed the hard edge of a Showa-era film actor of the rugged, manly type, with a sensual depth behind that hardness. This year's rice was said to be harder to dissolve than any in recent memory, following a record-level summer heat wave. At Ten-On, however, the rice dissolved readily, contrary to that advance word. Both the white-label sake and Kaoru came out at a sake meter value (SMV) of +7 to +10, and alcohol was 1 to 2% higher than in a typical year. I believe the hot, humid conditions that lasted until nearly December, together with the three-day koji, produced a resilient koji that could pierce the hard rice. The sake, with the mild sweetness and umami of this three-day koji and its tsukihaze-type amino acids, also carries the grassy, plant-like nuances and smoky aroma brought by the humidity. It is a solid, koji-driven sake that is truly Shimane in character. In professional sensory evaluation, this grassy, smoky aroma is an off-flavor known as 4VG. For a local sake, however, if it is not too strong, it can be understood as the fragrance of home, carrying a nostalgic atmosphere that expresses the climate and the land. It is a spatial aroma released by moss and lichen, which are sensitive to moisture in the air. Last year it smelled like sakura mochi; this season it is closer to rice straw. The aroma fades as winter brings lower humidity. Because the base sake Kaoru came out robust, the nigori was taken from a beautiful, somewhat soft moromi of Sakanishiki Junmai Dai (純大). The proportion of nigori is also on the high side. The sake has a solid impression but is quite drinkable, and the more you drink, the more distinctly Ten-On it becomes. It is a limited release with small quantities. Thank you for your support.

Other sake from this brand 8

• Ten-On Kimoto Muroka Junmai sake Sakanishiki Gohyakumangoku天穏 生酛 無濾過 純米酒 佐香錦 五百万石
• Ten-On Junmai sake Gohyakumangoku天穏 純米酒 五百万石
• Ten-On Junmai Genshu Gohyakumangoku天穏 純米原酒 五百万石
• Ten-On Junmai Ginjo Sakanishiki天穏 純米吟醸 佐香錦
• Ten-On Kimoto Muroka Junmai sake Kairyo Omachi天穏 生酛 無濾過 純米酒 改良雄町
• Ten-On Yamahai Muroka Junmai Yamada Nishiki天穏 山廃 無濾過 純米酒 山田錦
• Ten-On Junmai Daiginjo天穏 純米大吟醸
• Ten-On Tokubetsu Junmai Kaori天穏 特別純米 馨