An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
Wakamusume Usuhanazakura Junmai Ginjo, Saito no Shizuku Rice, Seimaibuai 60% Local nano-brewery Shintani Shuzo has become enormously popular after winning platinum in the 2020 KuraMaster awards in France, and now is basically only available by reservation. I luckily got my name on a list for this latest namagenshu pressing. I'm a big fan of Wakamusume,... Continue Reading →
Despite the fact that Asahi Shuzo is a mere 30 minute drive from my house, I just don't drink that much Dassai. I suppose it's just too ubiquitous, too famous, and, well, too expensive for me to pay much attention to. I genuinely feel like Yamaguchi has such an embarrassment of riches when it comes... Continue Reading →
Choshu Shuzo is now well into the middle of its first brewing season, and toji Fujioka Miki has shipped out several batches of sake so far. I missed the last Tokubetsu Junmai, so I got hold of this third Junmai Ginjo to see how it has progressed since its first batch. Tenbi Junmai Ginjo, Nama... Continue Reading →
Harada Junmai Daiginjo, Rice Choshu Yamadanishiki Tokujo, Seimaibuai: 40% I rang in the New Year with a bottle of Hatsumomiji Shuzo's super premium Harada Junmai Daiginjo. This one is made with Yamadanishiki sake rice grown locally in Yamaguchi prefecture (the historical name for this area is Choshu). The rice is also ranked Tokujo, which is... Continue Reading →
This junmai ginjo is a special bottling offered through a local sake shop, Nakashimaya, which also uses the business logo Marumi, which is the same character used in Bijin, hence the "Maru" in the name. Toyo "Maru" Bijin 55 Junmai Ginjo This sake is particularly special, as the sake shop has contracted with Sumikawa Shuzo... Continue Reading →
Taka Autumn Harmony As the pandemic continues to hold down dining and drinking opportunities, breweries are struggling to figure out what to do with backing up stocks. Many breweries are choosing to try new things--and many are trying their hand at adventurous blends. This is one such. Aki Harmony is a mix of two tokubetsu... Continue Reading →
Imada Shuzo Honten is in Higashi-Hiroshima city, some 90 kilometers up the Seto Inland Coast from where I sit. It's a small brewery, producing around 300 600 (correction) koku a year, but its presence in the sake brewing industry is growing increasingly prominent. It is currently run by kuramoto/toji Imada Miho--one of the few women... Continue Reading →
From Left to Right: Chiyomusumi Goriki 50 Junmai Ginjo (Chiyomusubi Shuzo, Tottori); Gassan Junmai Ginjo (Yoshida Shuzo, Shimane); Sake Hitosuji Honjozo (Toshimori Shuzo, Okayama) ; Kamoizumi Junmai (Kamoizumi Shuzo, Hiroshima) ; Gokyo Daiginjo Saito no Shizuku (Sakai Shuzo, Yamaguchi) On Saturday, November 21 the Hiroshima Tax Bureau sponsored an online seminar to show off sake... Continue Reading →
Tenbi The First, nama genshu. Unlabeled junmai, due to unspecified seimaibuai. It is a rare thing to see a new sake brewery born. The hurdles to getting a new license to brew are wrapped in Catch-22 conditions, making it nigh impossible (by design) to start from scratch. However, old licenses are transferrable, and once you... Continue Reading →
Go To Drink Tokyo, Junmai ginjō (Blend) The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on the world, and this is of course true of the sake world as well. Brewers have seen plummeting sales, which is bad, and also seen stock back up in their warehouses and tanks, which is very bad. If they don't make... Continue Reading →
