Readers of a certain age might remember Donovan’s wonderfully paranoid song “Season of the Witch.” For the younger cohort it is highly recommended, as it describes an era not unlike our own. That being said, it is also, of course, the month in which Halloween falls, our favorite holiday here at drinkingjapan.org, and the season in which we partake of some wonderful foods and beverages. This seasonal sake, however, has more of the witch than the wonderful harvest in it. True, its bouquet is redolent of licorice, a medicinal plant beloved by many of us, but its disconcerting bitterness is off-putting. It is dry with 15% abv. So where does this seasonal stuff come in? Well, this is an example of hiyaoroshi, a sake that has gone through the first but not the second pasteurization. Such beverages are released in autumn. We will end this with an allusion to the Donovan song—best not to pick up this stitch.
Recommendation level (out of five stars):
1/2 ⭐️ (half star)
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