An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
I'm beginning to feel I have some kind of karmic connection to Nakashimaya. Every sake event I go to I run into the same young staff member, and he always talks me into trying something new. When people ask me for recommendations, I always find that their specific event needs seem to call for one... Continue Reading →
Hey again! So the blog here is going to be a bit spotty this month because I have family visiting from America and none of them drink, so it's kind of awkward to sit around slurping sake and taking notes on my own. I'll do my best to get something up here, though, and here's... Continue Reading →
This is a lovely Junmai Ginjo from Imada Shuzohonten in Hiroshima. The brewery has attracted some attention because they have one of the few women Toji in Japan. Miho Imada was recently profiled in Sake Today, in fact, so one can hope that this great kura will be getting more attention in the future. And... Continue Reading →
Today I've got something from Iwakuni powerhouse Sakai Shuzo, makers of Gokyo. Sakai has a reputation as a very staid, traditional kura but they've recently been trying some more modern things with labels designs and such, and this is clearly one of them. There is a whole line of "five" branded sakes, of different colors.... Continue Reading →
This sake presents an odd situation. I bought it when I noticed the "sub heading" Sugihime. That's the main label for Yamaguchi city brewery Yamashiroya, and indeed Yamashiroya is listed on the label...but, on closer inspection, as the "sales point." Huh? Indeed, the maker is listed as Yamagata Honten of Shunan, the first brewery I... Continue Reading →
If you read my Monday post about the Great Yamaguchi Sakagura Project, you might recognize this name. Tatsu no O is the main label of Otoko Jiman Shuzo (JP only), the one non-association member kura I've found in Yamaguchi. It's also one of the kura I hadn't tried yet, so boom, another one bites the dust!... Continue Reading →
Maboroshi, meaning "Illusion, phantom" is a junmai ginjo made with Hiroshima's Hattan Nishiki rice milled to 55%. I like that this is a local sake made with a local strain of rice, much like Saito ni Shizuku made Yamaguchi sakes. It appeals to my sense of symmetry, and I know when I go to Okayama... Continue Reading →
Before I begin, I'd like to mention the recent flooding disaster in Western Japan. I live in the midst of one of the worst floods to hit Japan in decades. My family and I are safe and, mostly, unaffected, but the communities around us have been devastated. Dozens of lives have been lost, thousands of... Continue Reading →
Wakamusume is the prime label for a local small kura, Shintani Shuzo, that is making some waves with their own "revival narrative." Shintani is a venerable local kura that was on the verge of closing after its Toji retired, but the label founder's grandson Yoshinao Shintani decided to make a go of it alone,... Continue Reading →
This sake from Yatsushika Shuzo is a rarity for me on two counts. First, it's my first sake from Oita prefecture in Kyushu. I've visited Oita many times, but oddly never picked up a brew there. It's a serious oversight! Second, it's a ginjo that isn't a junmai. This class of sake is increasingly being... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 