Yamahai, Gifu, Japan
Like opening a chocolate Easter egg only to find a green & shimmering baby dragon! It almost never happens! Since 1702, the Nakashima brewery has been fermenting in the mountainous Gifu prefecture. This offering is a very special saké travelling from 2010 & showing the epitome of when an experiment goes RIGHT! Its name is a window into its style. Yamahai, means natural lactic fermentation, which brings roundness and Muroka – or no charcoal filtration – means nothing is removed. Aged using a practice of oxidization that varies by year and adds to the funky, otherworldly qualities that saké can possess. Aromatic, salty-nuttiness, rather rough, Earthy, with a slight citrus-peel bitterness & enticing acidity. A veritable taste expedition with heaps of umami, pour alongside hearty dishes, wool jumpers & silk scarves.
