Chris’ Sake Corner – ⚠️Juyondai Raffle!⚠️
Greetings Sake Fans and Connoisseours,
Chris here, back at it with another Chris' Corner newsletter column. This time around, I have some very interesting news for all you sake collectors out there. We got a very tiny allocation from the world famous Takagi Shuzo, makers of Juyondai. First, a little primer on Takagi Shuzo, by way of the importer that is called ♫ Skuuuuuuuuuuurnik...
In 1993, 15th generation owner Akitsuna Takagi took over the brewery at the age of 21 when he was still a student, learning the art of brewing on the job. This was at a time when few young brewers were entering the business, and Takagi set out to make a distinctive sake, one that was fruit forward and vibrant, as opposed to the light and dry style that was popular at the time. The resulting brand was Juyondai, which literally means “fourteenth generation” in honor of Takagi’s father calling attention to the long lineage of the family.
Juyondai made an immediate impact, impressing the sake world with its ripe and bold character, quickly becoming one of the most sought after sake in the world. Takagi-san’s example has inspired an entire generation of younger brewers to take over their small family businesses and develop their own unique house styles without following national trends.
First time I ever had Juyondai was actually here at True Sake. It was that much of a unicorn. We managed to get a case back in December of 2020, and even then, the stock was bottle aged for 18 months. To all you naysayers out there that "only drink fresh", this old Juyondai still drank great. I see Juyondai in Japan all the time. In fact, it was readily available at the secret standing bar that my friend Taro took me to in Tokyo. A few of my non-sake drinking friends have even texted me asking to see if we carry Juyondai. It's truly become a household name for both beginners and experts. True Sake has even had Juyondai as early as 2016, but it has always been pretty scarce.
Here's the deal. We only got 6 bottles in. They're new, and bottled in June 2023. We've had some good success with our Jikon raffles in the past, so we're gonna do a raffle for Juyondai. We feel this is the most fair way to attempt to sell such a unicorn sake. This time around though, we're going to open this up to in-store and online customers. No foul play or shenanigans though, or you'll be banned from this contest and all future contests. No fake names, no burner email accounts, no husbands-cousins-fathers-coworkers-neighbor entering the raffle on your behalf. No tricks!
The rules!
- Sign ups are done in person or online.
- To sign up online, all you need to do is purchase a free raffle ticket.
- Must have or make a customer profile with True Sake.
- Must subscribe to the True Sake newsletter.
- Only one (1) bottle per person per household.
- You will be notified within the following week if you have been selected.
- If you are chosen, and after being notified, you have 24 hours to respond and purchase the bottle. If we do not hear back in 24 hours, your entry will be dropped and a new entry will be chosen at random.
- Name on the government issued ID, credit card used, person picking up must all match and it has to be you. NO FAMILY OR FRIENDS OR COLLEAGUES PICKING UP ON YOUR BEHALF. You have 30 days to pick up after purchasing. If bottle(s) are not picked up within 30 days, another person will be chosen at random. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- If purchasing online, billing and shipping address must match. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- Any foul play detected will lose the chance to purchase bottle(s) in the raffle, which includes immediate refunds if the bottle(s) were already purchased, and being disqualified from all future raffles and lotteries.
- Rules are subject to change without notice and we hold the right to determine if foul play was made.
Raffle date: Saturday September 16 from 11am to 7pm Pacific Standard Time.
Read rules first before entering!
I'VE READ THE RULES: Enter Here
