An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
This is a mysterious sake! What fun! In my quest to find all the sakagura in Yamaguchi, I was surprised to find a couple in Shunan (very near to my house) that I'd never heard of, including one that I'd literally walked past before without realizing: Tominaga Shuzo. I decided to drop by, because research... Continue Reading →
This isn't a huge update, of course, but here it is: as of October 18, 2018 I have drunk sake from 22 of the 43 current Yamaguchi sake kura. That still leaves a significant number of kura I have yet to visit, but I'm at least over half! Yay! Here's the remaining list, for what... Continue Reading →
This rare non-junmai daiginjo from Shimonoseki Shuzo (JP Only) is my first from them, and a truly great introduction indeed! It seems these days that junmai is the word to use for brewers, and I honestly can't remember how many alcohol-added daiginjo I've seen on shelves. The only other one I've drunk is the Tobindori from... Continue Reading →
No, you're not having deja vu. This is one more review of a Kinfundo Daiginjo Tobindori...with a difference! If you read my earlier review a similar sake, you'll have a basic understanding of what Tobindori is. If not, here's a recap: Sake, after fermentation is complete, is pressed in a number of ways. It can... Continue Reading →
There is a large hotel not 2 minutes' walk from my house, and their restaurant is what I like to call "Bubble Fancy." It's a remnant of Japan's heady days of high wealth in the 80s and 90s, with furnishings that were once clearly the height of luxury...but now with 30 or so years of... Continue Reading →
I picked this special summer junmai from Chomonkyo brewers Okazaki Shuzojo at a roadside plaza in Nagato, not far from the Hagi brewery itself. Usually when I think of summer drinks, I think of light, refreshing things like lemonade or barley tea. So my assumption was that this would be a light, fruity sake as... Continue Reading →
Today's sake is a rarity: Koshu, aka Aged Sake! I picked this bottle up at tiny Ikedaya Liquor shop in Hofu, Yamaguchi, the only place you can get Takeuchi sake these days. It was just hanging out in their cooler, and it stood out because I've seen a lot of Wakamusume sake before, but never... 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 →
Here we have another offering from tiny Takeuchi SHuzo in Hofu, Yamaguchi. Last time was their primary label, Nishiki Sekai, and this time is the rather familiarly named Suobijin. Suobijin is made with 100% locally grown Yamadanishiki rice, just like Nishikisekai, yet another thing I find admirable in Takeuchi's products. A random blog article I... 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 →
Yamaguchi Sake 