Description

Dewazakura Ichiro, which also has the English name “Abbey Road” in the UK is a beautiful and elegant junmai daiginjo sake made from highly polished rice. It has a very complex fruity aroma. You will feel yourself at a fruit market with aromas of melon, apple, strawberry yoghurt, light cheese, rice and probably a lot more. When I tried it first, I got gentle sweetness and a bit of pepperiness with notes of plum, honey, green tea and orange drops. However, when I had it for the second time the next day, it tasted less sweet than the first time.

Dewazakura Ichiro has a very lavish and smooth texture and higher than usual viscosity and a lazy finish ending with a bit of spiciness like a hot chilli spice. When Dewazakura Ichiro warms up, it becomes a bit sweeter. However, I would still recommend it slightly chilled as it shines at this temperature.

In terms of food pairing, it’s very versatile but best with sashimi, seafood, and even lean grilled beef.

Dewazakura sake brewery is located in Yamagata prefecture, which is quite famous in Japan for its focus on ginjo sake. Founded in 1892, Dewazakura is still a youngster among other sake breweries some of which have hundreds of years of history behind them. The name of the brewery comes from two words: Dewa, an ancient name of Yamagata prefecture and “zakura”, which is sakura, cherry blossom. For me, it sounds very fresh and delicate as cherry blossom petals. And it’s true for Dewazakura sake style.