Sake of the week #030: Masumi Yamahai Zukuri Junmai Ginjo

In September, I visited Keith-san, marketing manager at Masumi in Suwa, Nagano. When he mentioned a new Yamahai Zukuri Junmai Ginjo, how could I resist getting a bottle to try at home! Even when the transaction meant possibly missing my train back to Tokyo, I had to grab a bottle that had only been released a few days before.

We finally had a chance to try it this week. Having been aged for two summers, this Yamahai had a deep note of honey balanced by a gentle acidity leading to a clean finish. We enjoyed it first by itself and admired the golden color.

Sake of the week #029: Sawa no Hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi

Funny how just a slight change in the weather and temperature can change your cravings. The days are still pretty hot, but it has cooled down in the evenings quite a bit lately. For the first time this fall, I was craving creamy, hearty pasta. So, I mixed a jar of artichoke cream sauce with sake kasu, sauteed onion, butter, flour and non-fat milk to dish up with some big tube pasta.

Then the drink choice. I had already poured a good amount of Shichihonyari Junmai we had in the fridge from a couple nights ago in the sauce and it was almost gone. So which bottle to open? Sawa-no-hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi was my pick.

Sake of the week #024: Shū Mochigome Junmai

“And, it’s not just any mochigome…” Ichimura-san continued with the story behind Shū. What’s called Shū today was produced and sold as Sakuragawa right up to the World War II when the brewery was forced to stop production by the military government. Locals in Obuse in that era knew sake with two names: Sakuragawa and Masuichi. Sakuragawa was the sake they drank on special occasions.

Sake of the week #017: Hekiiken Danginjo Junmai Nama

Photo: Hakiiken Daiginjo Junmai Nama

When I opened the package from Brian for July SakeSwap, hadn’t ever seen sake in such a nice bottle. I uttered “Oh My God!!!”. Then I immediately tweeted Hekiiken with a picture of this very summery beautiful blue bottle.
Hekiiken is brewed by Masuichi-Ichimura Sake Brewery in Obuse, Nagano. I [...]

Sake of the week #005: Kizan Junmai Ginjo

Kizan Sanban Junmai Ginjo Nama wowed everyone at our last Tokyo Sake Meetup. Our theme was nama, and we had five really good bottles, all nama or unpasteurized. But, this one was special.
Kizan was the last bottle we opened toward the end of the tasting and meal after we had already enjoyed four different types [...]