Flights Of Fantasy: Daenerys Targaryen

There’s something magical about sake. From production right up until it’s poured into a glass, the mystical qualities of nihonshu deserve to be celebrated and that is where Flights of Fantasy comes in. It’s a series that imagines the sake that different characters from fantasy literature would drink as an extension of their own personalities and motives.

Daenerys Targaryen is one of the most well-known fantasy characters of the last decade and her quest to retake her birthright has been forged in fire and blood. Such a single-minded pursuit is thirsty work, so let’s look at the sake she’d drink.

Jokigen Kiss Of Fire 

The motto of House Targaryen is fire and blood and any bottle that reminded Dany of her purpose and heritage is something that she’d approve of. The Jokigen Kiss of Fire is an ideal representation of the Targaryen name: bold, potent and complex. 

Crafted by the Kano Brewery in Ishikawa Prefecture, the Kiss of Fire is a junmai daiginjo grade bottled at 16%. It’s made with Yamadanishiki rice polished to 50% and then aged for three years to create some complex flavours and a versatile kind of sake.

Kisaki 50

As a queen, Daenerys would want to drink sake that is befitting of her title and an appropriate bottle is Kisaki. Translating to Queen in English, this junmai daiginjo has an elegant profile to match the beauty of The Mother Of Dragons. 

Yoshino Shuzo of Katsuura City brews Kisaki with the Khal Drogo of sake rice Yamadanishiki. The brewery mills the rice to 50% and incorporates water from the Tateyama mountain range in Toyama Prefecture. 

The result is a graceful drink with floral and fruity notes that would appeal to Dany’s taste buds. She’d enjoy unwinding with a glass in her private chambers after dealing with another day of freeing slaves, burning slavers and trying to be a just queen.

Ryujin Dragon God 

To finish off her flights, there could be no sake more appropriate for a girl who rides dragons than Ryujin Dragon God Namachozo Genshu Ginjo. On examining the bottle, Daenerys would be reminded of her children Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. It’d remind her of the full history of House Targaryen and everything that she stands for.

The sake is undiluted, has only been pasteurised once and falls into the ginjo category. Made with the queen of sake rice Gohyakumangoku, milled down to 55% and bottled at 16.5%, the Dragon God is full-bodied, floral and comes with a slow burn that unfurls on the tongue.

Dany would drink it warm and the taste would make her feel as if she were flying with Drogon. The true power of dragons captured in liquid form. Best enjoyed after shouting Dracarys and washing away the sensation of burning someone alive.

Look out for more Flights of Fantasy pairings and in the meantime be sure to check out Yamato Magazine’s regular sake and shochu reviews.