An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
My first fresh bottle of sake this year is Taka's Tokubetsu Junmai Jikagumi 60, a fresh Shinshu just for this season. Taka Tokubetsu Junmai Jikagumi, 60 Seimaibuai, Yamaguchi-Grown Yamada Nishiki Another jikagumi! For those who missed it from the Ageo ode, jikagumi sake is bottled directly from a wood press, as yet another variation of... Continue Reading →
Ube City's Nagayama Honke is a growing name in the sake world. Their label Taka is not only popular in Japan, but it's earning a name overseas as well. And I'm a fan myself, with the green label Choshu no Junmai taking a top spot in my favorites list. The Nagayama Honke main building, a... Continue Reading →
In a recent wander around the shopping streets surrounding Tokuyama Station, I found what you might actually call my holy land: a new bar dedicated (almost) solely to sake. Kokushu (͡國酒) opened in March of this year and offers pretty much one thing: All you can drink nihonshu (they do have a little machine dispensing... Continue Reading →
One of the tricky things about taking all these classes and doing all this "official" sake study is that people expect me to know how to recommend and pair sake to food. That's kind of hard at this point, mainly because I have no idea what works without trying it. There are certain points on... Continue Reading →
This brew comes from Nagayama Honke Shuzojo in Ube, Yamaguchi. Their normal label is Taka, but for this special product, available only through Yamaguchi Liquor Space Taiyo shops, they use the special name Takaharu. They also use a paper outer wrapper for extra snazz! This sake grew on me. The first couple of cups were... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 