Sake / Nihonshu - Page 2

Bringing this back from a little wile ago. Check out this site if your interested in sake.
http://www.sakesocial.com

some nice selection. I wish the site had more sake rare sake though

Tried my first unfiltered sake today with sushi. Why anybody would serve the filtered crap is beyond me. Absolutely delicious. The sushi master (there is a title I can't think of at the moment) told me that sake is served warm to mask the poor flavors i.e. they only serve crap sake warm. Is this true?

Yes this is true. Good sake can be served however you like, but it is usually served slightly chilled. Check out this video for some good info on sake. Scroll down to videos 693 and 694.
http://tv.winelibrary.com/2009/06/

Also, has anyone noticed that good sake is pretty expensive? I don't know much about it yet and am trying to learn more but it seems like the good, but not outrageous stuff is 30-50 bucks. You can get really nice wines for 20 and under. Anybody know more about sake and want to let me know what's up with that?

When you say UNFILTERED are you referring to NIGORI (the cloudy kind)? In that case, it is just another type of sake to enjoy. It doesn`t mean that the filtered (clear) type is crap.

Also, I would not say that they ONLY serve crap sake warm. The really good stuff (GINJO quality) is often served slightly chilled, but some taste good warm too. The lower grade ones are often served both ways (chilled and warm).

Serving craps sake warm can smooth it out a bit, but the main reason high quality sake is usually not served warm is because the delicate flavors and aromas become more difficult to enjoy.


Good sake in the U.S. is pretty expensive because they are selling for about 2times the price as the original retail in Japan. In Japan the cream of the crop will be about $100 (this is like Cheatau Latour, Rothschild, Margaux class) and the top class ones are about $30~$50 (still top tier Grand Crus compared to wine) and the very good but near the top are around $10~20 (still near Grand Cru quality). If you shop around, you can easily find Grand Crus class sake for around $10~$20 a bottle (720ml), but that`s the price in Japan. Expect to pay almost double in the U.S.

^^^ Why does it sell for twice as much here? Importation fees or something?

I am not sure.

I just noticed shopping myself that somewhat premium priced sake in the U.S. is sold at a much more reasonable price in Japan ($30~$40 in U.S. would be a reasonable $10~$20 bottle in Japan).

Still, overall sake is much more reasonable than wine. Even if you are splurging in the U.S., you can get a really good bottle for $50 or under (I mean Grand Crus good). The amount of craftsmanship that goes into a $50 sake bottle is far, far greater than anything you can buy in the wine world, where you could easily have to pay $500 for something of lesser value (in my opinion).

I like both wine and sake though.

Do you have any recommendations for good everyday sake? I'm looking for something to sip on instead of wine or beer occasionally. And do you have any good sake-food pairing advice?

The good part is, if you`re buying sake in the U.S. the whole selection is actually pretty good, so the chances of you buying a bad bottle is probably rare. They probably only bother importing the good stuff.

I am not sure if there is a everyday bottle I recommend, but I think you could shop more easily with the rough/general guideline below (look on the front or back label):

Jyunmai: the cheapest of the good stuff. You will be able to enjoy some good aromas and taste, but there will still be a kick left. A bit rough and with some alcohol character remaining for my taste preference. (but still very good).

Jyunmai Ginjyo: usually about $20~$30 a bottle for the good stuff. it`s probably not difficult to find good ones for under $20 too (720ml.). Usually you get more aromas (delicate fruit, flower) and taste along with smooth rice flavors. It has a good balance between being delicate as well as leaving enough bite (not TOO smooth). I find I drink more from this category to accompany food. It is not overpowered by food, yet it is delicate and complex enough for enjoying on it`s own.

Jyumai Daiginjyo: The cream of the crop (Grand Crus). The prices in the U.S. are probably about $40~$50, but you can find some at around $20~$40. The sake in this category are usually the most smooth. Until you acquire a taste for sake by trying different bottles, you may not notice the difference between this and the Jyunmiai Ginjyo type described above. The differences are rather subtle. Usually there is even less alcohol character, with more complex aromas. Some end up having less flavor or aromas compared to the above type (almost too smooth) but some end up having even more. It depends on the character of the brewery.

If you noticed, all of the above have the word JYUNMAI coming first. This means PURE RICE. The sake is all natural without any chemical alcohol added. I like this because there are no impurities in this type of sake. Unlike wine and other alcoholic beverages, you will not get a headache or hangover (at least not easily) as the chemicals that cause this do not exist in Jyunmai type sake. I think I read somewhere that sake is the only type of alcoholic drink like this (pure, natural, without chemical impurities).

If the bottle just says GINJO or DAIGINJYO (without the JYUNMAI) it is still premium sake, but there is a little bit of artificial alcohol added to enhance flavor. If you don`t mind this, the sake in this category can have even more aroma and flavor. Personally, I usually stick with the above JYUNMAI type, but most people drink all of the above.

If there is Japanese supermarket in your area, they usually carry a pretty good selection. Try to avoid the huge (Hakutsuru, Ozeki, Hakkaisan) companies by asking an attendant. You don`t want to buy the equivalent of Budweiser on your first try (90% of the selection is good...10% is usually from these huge, mass breweries).

I`ll try to look online later to see what`s available in the U.S. and match with some of my favorites (will post more later)