Hineka
Hineka (老香) is a caramel or soy-sauce aroma that appears when sake gets old or is kept warm. In aged sake it can be part of the charm.
- Japanese
- 老香（ひねか）
- Group
- Taste & numbers
From “How long sake keeps and how to store it”
The colour deepens from pale yellow to amber, and an aroma of caramel or soy sauce appears, called hineka. It isn't harmful, just a matter of taste. Warming can make such sake pleasant again, and it is fine for cooking. But if a sake that isn't meant to be cloudy turns milky and smells sour, it may have been spoiled by lactic bacteria (hiochi). Don't drink it.