Staff Pick Saké
Izumibashi Megumi Blue Label Junmai Ginjo $39.96
Izumibashi Sake Brewery was founded in 1857 primarily as a farm for table rice. Since 1996 they have been one of the very few sake breweries in Japan to grow and harvest their own rice for sake production.
The name Izumibashi comes from the Izumi river which is used to irrigate their fields, and Hashi, their family name. Using these cherished natural resources, Izumibashi states a commitment to “work in harmony with the natural environment” around them. Using 100% Yamada Nishiki rice, this is a gentle and clean sake on the pallet, featuring white flower and soft yellow apple notes. This is an absolutely perfect sake for food pairing as the elegant acidity rounds out to a lightly starchy and umami rich finish. – Evan Cucciniello, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultants
Dassai 39 Saké, Junmai Daiginjo $24.96
This lovely Daiginjo explodes with a multitude of fruit flavors. Strawberries, plums, apples, and pretty floral aromas all compete for your olfactory attention. On the palate the velvety, light texture and clean fruit aromas intermingle with a dry and savory finish. Dassai means Otter Festival in Japanese, and their mission is to continually reinvent and improve on traditional sake-making techniques. The 39 percent of the remaining rice after milling give Daiginjos pretty aromas and flavors. This is a perfect sake for a connoisseur and a novice alike. Get your otter paws on a glass of this excellent value Daiginjo and see the wonders that high rice polishing can create. – Vince Grace, Assistant Buyer
Suigei Saké, Tokubetsu Junmai $24.96
Suigei (Drunken Whale) is an extremely versatile sake that shows off its nuances and complexities at many temperatures and in different contexts. Decidedly on the earthy and savory side of the great SMV (Sake Meter Value) divide, this Tokubetsu Junmai can be enjoyed chilled, room temperature, and warmed. Polished down to 55%, and made from Akitsuho rice, this is a clean and linear tipple. The kura is in Kochi, on the southern coast of Shikoku, which has a water supply perfect for sake production. The result is a crisp, smooth sake that tastes of earth and highlights rice flavors. Bright acidity makes this sake pop with seafood and minimal vegetable dishes. A sake to quench even the maniacal thirst of Captain Ahab. – Vince Grace, Assistant Buyer
Taka Brewery, Noble Arrow Tokubetsu Junmai Saké $34.99
Although Takahiro Nagayama is the 5th generation of his family to head the Taka Brewery, his sensibilities for sake making come by way of Burgundy. While working with Philippe Pacalet he developed a passion for terroir, in particular the influence of limestone on the wines of Chablis. When he returned to Japan he brought these ideas with him and began making sake through a winemaker’s lens. He grows his own rice on limestone rich soils and uses water from a limestone-rich spring. All that minerality definitely shines through. It’s clean and crisp, with layers of green melon, wet stone, pineapple and mint. A true grower-producer sake that would pair well with any herb-driven dish, salads or fish with chimichurri sauce. – Amy Miller, Sales Manager
Denshin “Yuki” Saké, Junmai Ginjo $31.99
Hailing from Fukui prefixture, one of the snowiest regions in Japan, on the foothills of Mount Hakusan.
Denshin roughly translates to “what the heart thinks, the mind transmits.” Do not be surprised if you find yourself transported to picturesque mountains while enjoying this saké. There is a delicate fruit palate of plum and cherry. When served well chilled, a slight rise in temperature brings out a long, subtle finish of chestnut and cedar. – Evan Cucciniello, Astor Wines & Spirits Consultant