“This sake has been an absolute delight. The bottle caught my eye, but the cedar is what convinced me to buy it. I tried this at the temperatures recommended by the brewery, and I ultimately found that chilled was my favorite. (I tend to prefer my sake either chilled or at room temperature.) It wasn't bad warmed, but drinking it chilled made for a pleasant experience. I'd like to note that the cedar was noticeable but not overwhelming. This sake will be a staple for me going forward.”
“Served it cold the first time, I found it to be nice and mellow with hints of cedar, paired it with a steak, still have half a bottle I may try is warm and pair it with some salmon, I will definitely purchase more in the near future”
“We opened the Kikumasamune Taru on an overcast afternoon in Carpinteria, sitting on the porch of a tiny rental we’d found last-minute. H had brought along a simple lunch—salt-grilled spot prawns and a shaved fennel salad with wild fennel fronds we’d picked on a walk earlier.
The sake itself, though, was hard to love. The cedar influence was overpowering from the first pour—sharp, almost aggressive. What should have been a subtle, refreshing woodiness came across instead as raw and a little harsh. There was a medicinal edge to it, like something halfway between camphor and turpentine, and it lingered longer than we wanted it to.
We both finished our glasses, appreciating that it was still a cut above the mass-produced sake poured at too many sushi bars in the States—but this isn’t one we’ll return to. Sometimes tradition and craftsmanship aren’t enough to make a sake sing for you. We ended up switching to cold beer and letting the wind carry the rest of the bottle away.”
