Eikun Junmaidaiginjo Kotosennen Sake 72cl

This junmai daiginjo sake is the “one more sip” kind of bottle, fragrant, precise, and quietly complex without getting weird about it. If you’ve ever found sake too punchy, too hot, or just kind of one-note, this is your reset. It drinks clean and bright, with fruit and rice tones that show up in layers instead of shouting over each other.

Junmai daiginjo means it’s made with just rice, water, yeast, and koji, no added alcohol, and the rice is polished way down to keep the flavours refined. So what? You get a lighter, more aromatic style that feels crisp and tidy on the palate, great for food and even better for converting “I don’t really get sake” friends.

• Nose: Fresh melon, pear, a hint of white flowers, and that clean steamed-rice scent that says “this is the good stuff.”
• Taste: Juicy orchard fruit up front, then a gentle rice sweetness and a silky, almost weightless texture that keeps it feeling bright.
• Finish: Dry-leaning, neat, and lingering, with fruit fading into a soft, savoury edge that makes you want another bite.

Where this one really wins is balance. It’s flavourful, but never heavy. It’s aromatic, but not perfumey. That’s the magic of a well-made daiginjo style, everything feels dialed in, which means it plays nice with food instead of fighting it.

Pairing-wise, think clean and savoury. Sushi and sashimi are the obvious power move, but it’s also unreal with salty, crunchy snacks, grilled seafood, or anything with a bit of soy, ginger, or sesame. It’s also a sneaky-good pick for a sake cocktail moment when you want something fragrant and not too sweet.

If you’re stocking a home bar and want one sake that feels special without needing a lecture, this is it. It’s the bottle you pour when you want your guest to pause mid-sentence and go, “Okay, what is this?”

Fun Fact: “Koji” is the key ingredient that makes sake possible, it’s a mould that turns rice starch into sugars so yeast can ferment it, basically the quiet MVP behind every great sip.