Ra gets fresh

Hananomai Katana

Next, we tried the Hananomai Katana. Unlike the first sake, this one was not served warm. (Only cheap sake needs to be warmed. The heat works to mask its flavor.) The Katana was our driest offering, similar in taste to a dry chardonnay, but with a woody, whiskey-like aftertaste.

Also, note how the sake reaches right to the brim of the glasses, spilling over into the masu box. This, friends, is a gesture of kindness and an offering of good luck.