Dassai Sake Masterclass (Praelum Wine Bistro): Colourless and bright. Aromas with a cool minty, even mineral start, then the slight melon sweetness, then chestnuts. Medium light body, but very intense in flavours, whilst silky mouthfeel, with some rose and lavender, chestnuts, then even a bit of chives and then nutmeg. It is nevertheless very enjoyable, but there seems to have quite a strong spicy umami hint which seems to be low quality in the books... hmm
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From 300mL dated 2022.04 Lush full daiginjo. Much fuller bodied than expected White grape, white flower and honeysuckle flavors A nice easy intro to more highly polished daiginjos
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There's no other sake that has ever made me say "absolutely perfect". It's absurd how light and smooth this sake is. The subtle taste has very little of the classic rice wine notes, but lingers for quite a bit after taking a sip. Best served slightly chilled.
We missed International Sake day on Oct 1st, but we did sushi and sake on the 7th. Drank a bottle of Nobu's YK35 and this Dassai 23 side by side, both made from Yamada Nishiki rice.
We opened a 1.8 liter (Sho) bottle of Dassai 23, part of its name derived from the YK rice being polished down to just 23% of the original grain size. Presented as a gift by Japan's late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to President Obama in 2014, this sake rocks. The nose is very similar to the Nobu yk35, very floral, not much difference there. The flavour is much rounder and smoother with flavours of honey and melon, finish is long and elegant. Given that it's about 20/bottle cheaper than the Nobu yk35, and everyone we were drinking with preferred the dassai 23, this is definitely the winner of the two.
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Rich mango, papaya, banana, vanilla, pineapple, angel food, white flowers; a real luxury treat, riper and richer than Konteki JDG, but surprisingly higher SMV; this is really aromatic, lovely, creamy, like drinking pure steamed rice and concentrated white flowers and white fruits. +4 SMV, 23% SB, Yamaguchi. W/S&L
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Flamboyant tutti fruity flavors, heat definitely present. This is a bigger than usual daiginjo and very delicious. Definitely not subtle. A wine to impress those who think sake is only served hot. It does come off rather sweet.
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Definitely a sake to impress with its smooth and elegant almost creamy profile. Always delivers and went very well with a variety of foods but really the elegance and in a way lightness of it is unique for its price range. would have been a 93 if we rated sake/spirits etc
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Bottled in March 2019. Drank with Michelle shortly after arriving back from a few weeks in Japan.
Almost as good as I remember it from a fond memory at Hayato. Very Riesling-like. Tons of peach, white fruit, and slight licorice aromas with a similar and rich flavor profile. Nicely balanced and oh so delicious.
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As always very elegant, very classy and utterly polished sake. Very consistent with our previous notes and just one needs to be careful to have this on the fresher side as if the bottle has been opened long it hits it as its also fragile. Frankly the only flaw this has is called Dassai 39..
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Smooth with notes of melon and stone fruit. I don't know if it justifies the price difference however. The difference seems minuscule between this and the 39.
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What a beautiful saké and so categorically different than any wine or saké I usually drink. It possesses undeniable elegance, purity, and finesse. So clean, balanced, and structured too. Pears, melon, and a wisp of banana are caressed by a silky texture, gentle sweetness, and a floral aspect that is as fleeting as it is delicate. There’s a touch of heat on the finish but it’s matched by a velvety resonance and freshness that lasts.
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Alinea Retrospective 2011-15 (NEXT in Chicago): I'm not really a sake drinker so take this with a grain of salt. It is definitely a smoother drinker. Lots of floral. A hint of that rice alcohol taste that I don't totally love, but it's less pronounced than in some other sakes.
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Visit to Dassai Store (Dassai Store @ Ginza, Tokyo): clear, transparent, and having a bright silvery sheen on edge when under strong white light; off-dry, clean, fresh, and strong melon and peach fragrances; very elegant, with nearly no rice structural hardness; excellent!
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The word here is elegance, understated one. Polished, soft at times clean and focussed but with a presence and a persistance that lasted a good couple of minutes. Maybe could be more expressive on the nose but really the palate defines elegance and for that it makes it special.
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This is a combined tasting note for the Dassai 50, 39 and 23. The kinship between the three is very obvious, they clearly come from the same stable. The 50 is a very good Saké in its own right, with the emphatically fruity (melon, peach) style very much in evidence on the nose and a slightly sweet, silky-smooth palate. It is the most structured saké of this rarefied trio, but the finish is ever so slightly light (91). The 39 is quite a big step up in aromatic quality, with more nuance and definition on the spectacular nose and a distinct note of banana, the palate is delicately sweet but fresh as a mountain stream, relaxed and flowing, and the flavour persistence is excellent (93). The difference between the 39 the 23 is perhaps more gradual, but I would say that there is even greater finesse and purity in the 23, more intensity even and also a more floral character, but it is slightly ephemeral and there seems to be a little more heat on the finish (94). A fascinating compare-and-contrast. Overall, the 23 is the predictable winner on the quality of its nose, but the 39 is not far behind and I actually prefer it to the 23 for balance and on the finish. All three tasted from 180ml bottles, on board the Shinkansen Hayabusa from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.
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Saturday night at The Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Very polished, elegant and smooth sake. Soft but with a lovely presence and good finish. Would have liked some more energy and to have a vibrant side but this is more of an elegant beauty by design. Impressive polishing ratio down to 23% doubt we have seen this before. Ironically we like the lower class "50" sibling of this as it has a bit more structure. Still a solid sake.
Lovely as always with hints of plum and flowers. Refreshing and smooth, even more delicate than the '39'. Had it with varied Chinese dishes, some quite hot - heavenly.
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Delicate daiginjo but full of melon, banana, and strawberry. I prefer even more austere sakes with less fruitiness and sweetness. Tasted next to Dassai 39, this was very similar. The fruitiness was a little weaker in this sake; Dassai 39 tastes fuller. Unlike another reviewer, I did not enjoy this without food. I think the greatness of fine sake is how it pairs with high-end Japanese foods (kaiseki, sushi, and tempura).
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Lots of citrus fruits with a great nose. Very smooth but does have a little sweet side to it. Tasted wonderful with fresh sushi at Tomo Restaurant in Buckhead, GA. Still one of my favorite sakes
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Lychee, cantelope, tropical fruits aroma, can clearly smell the sweetness. Clean taste and medium to long finish. A tad sweet for my liking, still great sake though. Same price vs the Dassai "50", but only 300ml vs 720ml. Consumed within a party environment, blind comparison with the "50". Both tasted just a good thus "23" suffers from a QPR point of perspective
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Slight citrus note, lemon zest, with acacia, tropical flowers, amazingly beautiful nose, very pretty; silly attack, teflon minerals, quiet building of intensity, and a long persistent finish. Seamless, rich and creamy without seeming weighty, harmonious. This should be sipped cool in a good white Burgundy glass, not necessarily with food. Best sake I've had to date.
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2/7/2024 - GuanYu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clear with slight amber hue. Fresh, light, balanced and dry. A smooth, mood-lifting sake for haute omakase sushi.
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9/11/2023 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dassai Sake Masterclass (Praelum Wine Bistro): Colourless and bright. Aromas with a cool minty, even mineral start, then the slight melon sweetness, then chestnuts. Medium light body, but very intense in flavours, whilst silky mouthfeel, with some rose and lavender, chestnuts, then even a bit of chives and then nutmeg. It is nevertheless very enjoyable, but there seems to have quite a strong spicy umami hint which seems to be low quality in the books... hmm
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7/26/2023 - ghanbai Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of the best sake I ever had
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5/4/2023 - cos65 Likes this wine:
From 300mL dated 2022.04
Lush full daiginjo. Much fuller bodied than expected
White grape, white flower and honeysuckle flavors
A nice easy intro to more highly polished daiginjos
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2/1/2023 - goakley Likes this wine: 98 Points
There's no other sake that has ever made me say "absolutely perfect". It's absurd how light and smooth this sake is. The subtle taste has very little of the classic rice wine notes, but lingers for quite a bit after taking a sip. Best served slightly chilled.
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10/7/2022 - mcflytfc Likes this wine: 96 Points
We missed International Sake day on Oct 1st, but we did sushi and sake on the 7th. Drank a bottle of Nobu's YK35 and this Dassai 23 side by side, both made from Yamada Nishiki rice.
We opened a 1.8 liter (Sho) bottle of Dassai 23, part of its name derived from the YK rice being polished down to just 23% of the original grain size. Presented as a gift by Japan's late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to President Obama in 2014, this sake rocks. The nose is very similar to the Nobu yk35, very floral, not much difference there. The flavour is much rounder and smoother with flavours of honey and melon, finish is long and elegant. Given that it's about 20/bottle cheaper than the Nobu yk35, and everyone we were drinking with preferred the dassai 23, this is definitely the winner of the two.
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5/28/2022 - peternelson wrote: 94 Points
Rich mango, papaya, banana, vanilla, pineapple, angel food, white flowers; a real luxury treat, riper and richer than Konteki JDG, but surprisingly higher SMV; this is really aromatic, lovely, creamy, like drinking pure steamed rice and concentrated white flowers and white fruits. +4 SMV, 23% SB, Yamaguchi. W/S&L
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7/6/2021 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Flamboyant tutti fruity flavors, heat definitely present. This is a bigger than usual daiginjo and very delicious. Definitely not subtle. A wine to impress those who think sake is only served hot.
It does come off rather sweet.
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1/26/2020 - Papies wrote:
Definitely a sake to impress with its smooth and elegant almost creamy profile. Always delivers and went very well with a variety of foods but really the elegance and in a way lightness of it is unique for its price range. would have been a 93 if we rated sake/spirits etc
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10/26/2019 - Satoshi Nakamoto Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottled in March 2019. Drank with Michelle shortly after arriving back from a few weeks in Japan.
Almost as good as I remember it from a fond memory at Hayato. Very Riesling-like. Tons of peach, white fruit, and slight licorice aromas with a similar and rich flavor profile. Nicely balanced and oh so delicious.
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10/3/2019 - Papies wrote:
As always very elegant, very classy and utterly polished sake. Very consistent with our previous notes and just one needs to be careful to have this on the fresher side as if the bottle has been opened long it hits it as its also fragile. Frankly the only flaw this has is called Dassai 39..
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7/9/2019 - DoubleMagnum wrote: 91 Points
Smooth with notes of melon and stone fruit. I don't know if it justifies the price difference however. The difference seems minuscule between this and the 39.
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6/22/2019 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 93 Points
Orihara - Sake Fest 2019 (Suntec City Convention Centre): Nicely balanced and cool, with menthol and melon, as well as the sweetness of freshly cooked rice
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4/1/2019 - Baron Slick wrote: 95 Points
What a beautiful saké and so categorically different than any wine or saké I usually drink. It possesses undeniable elegance, purity, and finesse. So clean, balanced, and structured too. Pears, melon, and a wisp of banana are caressed by a silky texture, gentle sweetness, and a floral aspect that is as fleeting as it is delicate. There’s a touch of heat on the finish but it’s matched by a velvety resonance and freshness that lasts.
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12/21/2018 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Alinea Retrospective 2011-15 (NEXT in Chicago): I'm not really a sake drinker so take this with a grain of salt. It is definitely a smoother drinker. Lots of floral. A hint of that rice alcohol taste that I don't totally love, but it's less pronounced than in some other sakes.
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12/16/2018 - trippingturtles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clean, subtle sweetness, and very smooth finish.
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11/11/2018 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 94 Points
super super smooth; fruit and floral nose and flavor profile. excellent
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6/3/2018 - evanqian wrote: 92 Points
clean palate, pure rice flavours with a little sweetness and white floral. good length and balance, super smooth.
Ap 5/5, Ar 13/15, Palate 19/20, Overall 5+0/10
Total 92/100
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5/30/2018 - GJCVancouver Likes this wine: 97 Points
720ml
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4/26/2018 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 95 Points
Visit to Dassai Store (Dassai Store @ Ginza, Tokyo): clear, transparent, and having a bright silvery sheen on edge when under strong white light; off-dry, clean, fresh, and strong melon and peach fragrances; very elegant, with nearly no rice structural hardness; excellent!
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4/1/2018 - Papies wrote:
The word here is elegance, understated one. Polished, soft at times clean and focussed but with a presence and a persistance that lasted a good couple of minutes. Maybe could be more expressive on the nose but really the palate defines elegance and for that it makes it special.
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3/29/2018 - etyc Likes this wine:
Dinner at Shinzo
TBU
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3/18/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
This is a combined tasting note for the Dassai 50, 39 and 23. The kinship between the three is very obvious, they clearly come from the same stable. The 50 is a very good Saké in its own right, with the emphatically fruity (melon, peach) style very much in evidence on the nose and a slightly sweet, silky-smooth palate. It is the most structured saké of this rarefied trio, but the finish is ever so slightly light (91). The 39 is quite a big step up in aromatic quality, with more nuance and definition on the spectacular nose and a distinct note of banana, the palate is delicately sweet but fresh as a mountain stream, relaxed and flowing, and the flavour persistence is excellent (93). The difference between the 39 the 23 is perhaps more gradual, but I would say that there is even greater finesse and purity in the 23, more intensity even and also a more floral character, but it is slightly ephemeral and there seems to be a little more heat on the finish (94). A fascinating compare-and-contrast. Overall, the 23 is the predictable winner on the quality of its nose, but the 39 is not far behind and I actually prefer it to the 23 for balance and on the finish. All three tasted from 180ml bottles, on board the Shinkansen Hayabusa from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.
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5/19/2017 - ews3 wrote:
always a treat, this showed dried flowers, banana, and a really nice licorice note. well balanced.
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5/13/2017 - Papies wrote:
Saturday night at The Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Very polished, elegant and smooth sake. Soft but with a lovely presence and good finish. Would have liked some more energy and to have a vibrant side but this is more of an elegant beauty by design. Impressive polishing ratio down to 23% doubt we have seen this before. Ironically we like the lower class "50" sibling of this as it has a bit more structure. Still a solid sake.
Specifications
Prefecture: Yamaguchi
SMV: +4
Acidity: 1.3
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3/19/2017 - msimoes Likes this wine:
Delicious. Super smooth, great coupling of full mouthfeel and minerality. Paired perfectly w Omakase at Sushi Inoue in NYC.
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2/8/2017 - pudding Likes this wine: 95 Points
Floral and thick. Full body, mouth watering.
Great pair with Omakase at Sushi Gin
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11/9/2016 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at 67
Very good quality and a big difference to the 50
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4/25/2016 - Iceman611 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful and juicy. I would have preferred a bit drier more floral I style. Nevertheless, this is an excellent sake.
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11/7/2015 - DonalOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Lovely as always with hints of plum and flowers. Refreshing and smooth, even more delicate than the '39'. Had it with varied Chinese dishes, some quite hot - heavenly.
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11/6/2015 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Delicate daiginjo but full of melon, banana, and strawberry. I prefer even more austere sakes with less fruitiness and sweetness. Tasted next to Dassai 39, this was very similar. The fruitiness was a little weaker in this sake; Dassai 39 tastes fuller. Unlike another reviewer, I did not enjoy this without food. I think the greatness of fine sake is how it pairs with high-end Japanese foods (kaiseki, sushi, and tempura).
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2/18/2014 - GA Old World Guy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of citrus fruits with a great nose. Very smooth but does have a little sweet side to it. Tasted wonderful with fresh sushi at Tomo Restaurant in Buckhead, GA. Still one of my favorite sakes
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12/20/2013 - bboard Likes this wine:
Lychee, cantelope, tropical fruits aroma, can clearly smell the sweetness. Clean taste and medium to long finish. A tad sweet for my liking, still great sake though. Same price vs the Dassai "50", but only 300ml vs 720ml. Consumed within a party environment, blind comparison with the "50". Both tasted just a good thus "23" suffers from a QPR point of perspective
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7/10/2013 - peternelson wrote: 94 Points
Slight citrus note, lemon zest, with acacia, tropical flowers, amazingly beautiful nose, very pretty; silly attack, teflon minerals, quiet building of intensity, and a long persistent finish. Seamless, rich and creamy without seeming weighty, harmonious. This should be sipped cool in a good white Burgundy glass, not necessarily with food. Best sake I've had to date.
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