Sake?

So I'm in this japanese mood lately, painting samurais, playing shogun total war, watching Japanese movies ect.

I allready have tested Japanese whisky and it's very good. so it was about time to try sake.
I got two bottles today, a Nøgne Ø sake, which is something as "exotic" Norwegian Sake.
And a bottle of Masumi Sake.

I tried the Masumi today, and I was quite suprised by what I've found, for some very odd reason the first taste is almost exactly like Martini Vermouth, which I don't understand. Vermouth is wine, and while sake is often called rice wine, it's actualy rice beer, it's made like beer, and it's made of cerials like beer, not fruits like wine. But the taste is there, and I don't much care for vermouth, so after the first taste I dumpted the rest of the glass into the sink, but then when I sat down again. I got a really nice after taste. It was fresh apples kind a thing.

So I drank like half the bottle, having to fight the vermouth taste to get to the after taste.

It's very strange, it will be intersting to see if this vermouth taste is standard in sake or if it was just this one.