Gekkeikan Nigori Sake Review

It’s time to change it up again and get back to some Saké, this time I’m working the Gekkeikan Nigori Saké. This is a roughly filtered Saké with a very white milky coloring. This Saké is 10% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) and made only from rice, water and yeast and is requested to be served ‘chilled’ on the bottle. So, I’ll review it chilled as expected.

Not only does the Nigori (translates to “cloudy”) pour white, it has a good amount of small particles that stick to the edge of the glass when swirled, showing the true unfiltered nature of the spirit. The nose is fruity and contains that yeasty “saké” smell that seems unique to the spirit. The sweet flavors seem fruity but don’t distinguish themselves with any specific style of fruit but it does bring out some vague sweetness that I cannot pinpoint.

The taste of the Gekkeikan Nigori requires a few sips, at first it attacked my palate with very little sweetness and a bite upon the mid-palate with an alcohol finish. Taking a second sip my tongue awoke and found more sweet flavors on the initial attack with a gritty milky mid-palate transition which hinted at almonds and finished with a bit of an alcoholic punch.

The finish continues for about thirty to forty seconds with a slight heat, slight dry and slightly “sake” flavorings. By the fifth sip I started to really pull out the overall dry finish that must be explored before you find it. The dryness lasts for at least five minutes between sips, if you’re not into the “dry factor” then you’ll probably want to avoid the Gekkeikan Nigori Saké.

Overall, I found this Saké to be a bit mild and watery with a dry finish. It didn’t really strike my interest with any big “awesome” factor but may be a good “brew” to introduce to new Saké drinkers who want to get a sense for Saké without too much potency. This 300ML bottle will cost you roughly USD $5.99 which isn’t going to really break the bank so experimentation is possible without feeling like you were ripped off. For its price, it’s a fine beverage but lacks a bit of subtle nuance that I like in a spirit, beer or wine and Saké is more like a beer than any of the others.