REI Junmai Daiginjo Sho Chiku Bai Sake

Welcome back old pal.

I grade sake by its aroma. The stronger its aroma, the better. I also take its price into grading. If something is way too expensive, that’s going to affect its grading negatively unless it has got a God-tier aroma or something to offset its price.

I also take its taste into account although it’s not a significant factor. But, if something tastes unique in a positive way, then bonus points.

Rei sake

This sake, which I simply call Rei sake, used to be my favorite back in 2020. Once the stock ran out, LCBO hadn’t bothered restocking it until recently in 2022.

Costing 16 CAD per a 300ml bottle, this sake sits in the middle in price. This is filtered sake with clear orange/brown color to it.

When served warm, this sake has a sweet aroma which is a pretty rare thing for filtered sake. It is unfiltered, cloudy, sake that has a tendency to taste sweet because it actually has a sugar content. This Rei sake has no sugar content and still somehow manages to have a sweet aroma.

In fact, this sake is very sweet which makes it a bit weird. As said, it has no sugar content and this is filtered sake. I am not sure how they do it.

The taste itself is just like any other sake, bitter, but has a sweet aroma that hits the back of your nose. I rank this lower than Kijoshu, but it doesn’t alter the fact that it is one of my favorites.

When served cold/room temp, it has no aroma and does not taste sweet at all, so this sake is best served warm.