Kinoene Hanayaka Takumi No Kaori 純米吟釀 720ml 瓶裝

The aroma hits you right away—elegant and fruity, exactly what you’d expect from a Grand Gold Medal winner. This junmai ginjo has that fresh, lively taste from the in-bottle pasteurization, making each sip smooth and refined.

Opened this for a quiet evening and the freshness genuinely surprised me — the in-bottle pasteurization keeps it tasting lively, almost like a draft pour. That Grand Gold Medal from 2019 makes sense once you hit that clean, soft finish.

Opened it for a quiet night in and was blown away by how smooth and vibrant it tastes. The in-bottle pasteurization really does preserve that fresh, almost unpasteurized feel, which is a treat for a bottle at this price point.