May 2026
Discounts of the Month
Each Product 10% off*
AKITABARE DAIGINJO "WINTER BLOSSOM" $43.20
A refined Daiginjo from Akita Prefecture, aged at low temperatures to achieve an exquisite balance of flavor and texture. The palate is characterized by delicate floral notes and hints of melon, providing a clean and sophisticated drinking experience. This elegant sake is best served chilled to appreciate its silky mouthfeel and crisp, lingering finish.
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UMENOYADO GREEN-TEA UMESHU
$32.40
Umenoyado Green Tea Umeshu is a unique liqueur from Nara that blends premium plum sake with high-quality green tea leaves. The resulting profile is silky and sweet, balancing fresh botanical aromas with a distinct, mild bitterness from the tea. This versatile spirit is excellent served chilled, on the rocks, or used as a refined accent in cocktails.
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SHICHI HON YARI JUNMAI GINJO NIGORI $42.30
A distinctive Junmai Ginjo Nigori from Shiga, produced by one of Japan's oldest breweries using local Tamazakae and Ginfubuki rice. This small-production sake offers a robust, creamy mouthfeel filled with vibrant notes of pineapple, papaya, and coconut. While displaying the tropical richness typical of unfiltered styles, it remains remarkably balanced with a bright acidity and a uniquely dry finish.
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WANTANABE SHOCHU BROS $26.10
Watanabe Shochu Bros 'Imo' is crafted from estate-grown Kogane Sengan sweet potatoes in Miyazaki. Traditional atmospheric distillation yields deep, savory flavors of roasted potato, walnut, and subtle lavender. This versatile spirit delivers a rich, spicy finish whether enjoyed on the rocks or with hot water.
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*Discounts applied at checkout
New Arrivals coming to The Store:
Iwa 5 "Assemblage 6" from Toyama: Produced in 2024 and aged to perfection up to the present day, this A6 offers a mouthfeel that harmonizes with food even more seamlessly than before. Its fruity and floral characteristics—along with its nuanced balance of umami—have all settled into a state of heightened elegance; distinct from previous assemblages, it possesses a dryness and lightness that render it exceptionally sleek, linear, and truly food-friendly.
Narutotai LED Junmai Ginjo from Tokushima:Brewed using the "LED Dream Yeast" that was developed by irradiating yeast with different colored LED lights. Fruity aromatics meet a sweet and light taste with a tropical-fruit acidity. Silky texture makes for a smooth drinking experience. Subtly sweet after taste, like after eating a strawberry.
Fukucho "Seaside Sparkling" from Hiroshima: Fukucho is headed by Miho Imada, one of few female Tojis (master brewer) working in Japan. Her sparkling sake ferments naturally in the bottle and utilizes white koji to bring out notes of citrus and crisp apple, with a lightly creamy texture. As its name suggests, pair with seafood by the seaside.
Other Arrivals:
Ohyama Nigori
Ohyama Tomizu Tokubetsu Junmai
Naraman Yume Junmai Muroka
Tsukasabotan Shenchu Hassaku Tokubetsu Junmai
Kagatobi Yamahai Junmai "Super Dry"
Kagatobi Gokkan Junmai Cup
Events this Month:
Our Friends at Kato Sake Works are bringing a refreshing drink for the summer!
⭐Kato Sake Works Kappu Tasting Event 3-6pm May 2nd⭐
Takara presents their new Sparkling Sake Beverage!
🍑Takara Hana 3-6pm May 9th🍎
A Celebration of Spring Time being held all around Japan Village!
🌼Japan Village Spring Festival May 10th🌼
A Tasting Event showcasing excellent, Highly Acclaimed Craft Sakes!
🍶Kome Collective 2-5pm May 16th🍶
A huge, multi-vendor tasting event featuring sake and shochu from 10 different distillers and brewers!
✨Wismettac Sake & Shochu tasting Festival 2-5pm May 17th✨
A Two Day Tasting Event featuring Highly Unique and Incredibly Delicious Sake!
🍶Zev Tasting Event 3-6pm May 22nd-23rd🍶
From the Staff:
Exploring the Legendary Sake of the 1970s and '80s: Part 2
by Sam T. Miyazawa
In the previous newsletter, I focused on two renowned sake brands, Kenbishi and Koshi no Kanbai, both known for their "Aruten" (alcohol-added) production methods.
The "Aruten" method, centered in Niigata Prefecture, ushered in an era that established the "Tanrei-Karakuchi (crisp and dry)" taste and its associated name.
It was around this time that Niigata breweries like Hakkaisan and Kubota, along with Koshino Kanbai, became widely known throughout Japan, becoming some of Japan's leading sake producers. This rise of "local sake and local breweries" was further boosted by the so-called "Jizake (local sake)" boom, and the revival of junmai sake, which began in the mid-1960s, became even more popular.
Junmai sake, brewed using only rice and water—not "sanzo-shu" (sake with added sugar and alcohol), nor an additive technology born from the pursuit of quality like "Aruten"—came to be recognized as the "ultimate sake" or "the ideal form of sake."
It was around this time, in 1983, that my father returned home carrying another and unfamiliar 1.8-liter bottle. "Hey! I've got an amazing sake! I've never tasted anything this good!" exclaimed my father. Looking at the label, I saw the unfamiliar words "Yamahai-jikomi" written between "Kikuhime" and "Junmai-shu." "What's Yamahai?" I asked and he said "I don't know. Apparently it's a type of handmade sake from the old days." Before I knew it, my father and I had finished the entire 1.8-liter bottle.
At that time, Naohiko Noguchi, who was working as a master brewer at Kikuhime Brewery in Ishikawa Prefecture, visited a master of the Yamahai method and underwent six years of "Yamahai training" to revive this "Kikuhime Yamahai Junmai." Therefore, Mr. Noguchi is a legendary master brewer, often called the "father of Yamahai revival," and it is well-known that even at the age of 94, he continues to create not only Yamahai-style sake but also new sakes at his own brewery.
Yamahai boasts a complex flavor and richness reminiscent of nuts and caramel. The acidity derived from lactic acid bacteria and the richness of the flavor from the abundance of amino acids contribute to its appeal. It's wonderful that the recipe is still preserved at Kikuhime! In New York, only the 1.8-liter bottle is sold, just like when it was first released, but it's a sake I highly recommend drinking when you gather with family and friends. Incidentally, I drink this memorable sake with my family every Thanksgiving.
Click here for Kikuhime!
I learned about and enjoyed sake for a long time under my father's influence, but my preference shifted to wine when I entered college. Afterward, I studied at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo and an Italian wine import company in Tokyo, but my love for sake remained. The sake that truly impressed me, even as a wine lover, was a Junmai Ginjo sake in Niigata prefecture, "Jōzen Mizunogotoshi."
When I was a college student, I learned and taught skiing at a ski resort in Niigata every winter and spring. At that time, among my skiing friends and teachers, there was talk of a sake in Yuzawa that was "like water." So, I went to Echigo Yuzawa station with my skiing friends, and drinking it at a local izakaya in front of the station was my first encounter with "Jōzen." My palate, which had been engrossed in wine, was captivated by the gentle, clean mouthfeel, astonishing smoothness, and subtle fruity aroma of this sake, reminiscent of melted snow. I lost count of how many bottles my friends and I drank.
I still can't believe that this "Jōzen Mizunogotoshi" Junmai Ginjo is still available in New York at such an incredibly reasonable price.
Currently, Kuraichi also offers several sakes that are cleaner and smoother than "Jōzen." However, when it comes to smooth sake, the pinnacle, the signature sake, it simply cannot be discussed without mentioning this one.
Click here for Jozen!
Finally, there's the Denshu Tokubetsu Junmai, produced by Nishida Brewery in Aomori, which I've introduced several times in previous newsletters. This is a truly exceptional sake, especially since the 1980s, that has become incredibly difficult to obtain outside of Aomori.
Aomori is a treasure trove of fresh and diverse seafood, and Denshu's robust flavor, with its rich umami, was designed to pair well with such food. There was no better sake to pair with Aomori-produced seafood in Aomori. In particular, its compatibility with shellfish, which have a rich aroma of the sea unique to Aomori, is unparalleled. Since the current president took over, the flavor has become even more complex, updated to be an even smoother and easier-to-drink sake, attracting even more enthusiastic fans. I'll repeat what I've said before: people living in America should be very grateful that they can drink this sake almost anytime. I know how much my friends in Japan search for this sake, but how difficult it is to find.
Incidentally, "Denshu" means "rice sake" in English. This straightforward name and completely unadorned label reflect the brewery's confidence. It's a superb sake overflowing with the brewery's confidence and belief that "this is sake made from rice from the rice paddies." That is Denshu.
Click here for Denshu!
In the last and current newsletters, I shared some of the aspects of the sake movement in Japan during the 1970s and 80s, a period often referred to as a turbulent era for sake, based on my own personal memories and experiences. I feel fortunate to have been able to taste such fine sakes in real time, and I am grateful to my late father for introducing me to them. April is the month of my father's anniversary, so I would like to dedicate this newsletter to him. Thank you for reading this. I hope you all enjoy it.