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In this issue:

• Sake Exported To The US Is Different – Puahleeeze!
• Mad Dash To Dai Ginjos – Whoa take'er easy pardner!
• New Store Arrivals – Viva Arabashiri & Making Mom Smile
• Sake Vibes – Blind Sailing (no… not blind drunk)
• Special Events
• "Ask Beau"
• The SECRET WORD!

Every so often I will get that person who comes into True Sake and tries to convince me that the sake that is exported to the US had been "treated" to meet FDA regulations. They say how sake tastes so much better in Japan, because it has not been treated. They then say that the proof is in the fact that breweries make different sakes for Duty Free sales at the airports. My typical response before I escort them out of the store is "phooey!" (I have always wanted to type the word phooey.)

Seriously, the sake that you get is the sake that they get! I cannot be any more straightforward than that. It is the same. They DO NOT treat sake that goes abroad. Importing companies who tried to sell "untreated" sake as a selling point probably started this rumor. Firstly by treating they mean adding preservatives, and in fact up until 1969 they did add preservatives to some sake in Japan. But it was never a requirement by the USDA or the Japanese equivalent. For all intent and purposes it was a practice in Japan to keep sake from spoiling too early thus wasting potential income for large breweries. I recently exchanged emails with John Gauntner who reminded me of the fact that preservatives in sake became illegal in Japan in 1969 and it was the mega-brewery Gekkeikan who claim credit for this non- preservative movement.

Nevertheless the rumor exists, and as many of you who know me, know that I am used to doing wacky things with sake. So to lay this rumor to rest on my last trip to Japan in the fall of last year I brought a bottle of sake that was exported from Japan to the US back to Japan to its place of brewing. Along with several kurabito (brewery workers), the toji (head brewer), and the kuramoto (owner of the brewery) we opened this bottle side by side with a bottle from the same "batch" that had been released in Japan. This was quite rewarding to the makers because they wanted to test how their product had stood up to the trials and tribulations of transport. In the end the sakes were almost identical. The exported sake had a softer feel to it, because of the vibrations found in the moving process, but the flavors were the same. A smile for the brewers and a "see I told ya so" from me!

Sake may indeed taste better in Japan, but for reasons other than "treatments," such as time, place, and occasion and the fact that all boozes of the world taste better in the environment for which they have been made. Thus, and please repeat after me, the sake in Japan is the same sake sold in the US. (By the way, I never escort people out of True Sake, not even those who are rumormongers.)

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I have several $150 sakes in True Sake, and I can honestly say that I have turned more people away from buying these sakes than I have sold. Why? Simple, I feel that they haven't done their time learning sake before appreciating the subtleties found in these amazing Dai Ginjos. This has caused some heated exchanges for sure. But I truly believe that one must earn the right to taste heaven.

Am I being a snob? The answer is absolutely not. I am being a guardian, and my quirky approach to the upper echelons of sakes is done out of respect rather than the chasing of the mighty buck. (Don't get me wrong – I like the mighty buck, but will risk it to make certain that a person's first taste of a supreme Dai Ginjo will be met with as much understanding as fascination.)

Junmai Dai Ginjos are the pride of most breweries. To prove this point they typically make Dai Ginjos at the end of a brewing season when the team is functioning perfectly. Typically at the beginning of a brewing season the kurabito will start making Honjozos (with added distilled brewers alcohol), Junmais, Ginjos and lastly the Dai Ginjos when the team is firing on all cylinders. Of course they use their best brewing rice, their best polishing rates, their best yeasts, their best storing tanks, etc. Dai Ginjos are pampered babies. They are the most labor- intensive sakes, and as such the most expensive.

At True Sake we sell Dai Ginjos from a brewery that usually gets credit for inventing Dai Ginjo polishing rates (50% removal and 50% remaining of each grain of rice). The brewery from Kochi prefecture called Tsukasabotan sells a certain Dai Ginjo called "Delouxe Hourei" which comes in an antique bottle that symbolizes the first of the Dai Ginjos. And many breweries thereafter have taken the art form known as Dai Ginjos to crazy levels such as polishing the rice to 17% and removing 83% of each grain of rice.

The bottom line is that people feel compelled to go straight for the best. But as I say Dai Ginjos are only the best in process not in personality. I much prefer customers to cut their teeth on Junmais (70% remaining). Once they have tasted a variety of sakes in this category then I say try some Ginjos (60% remaining). Then and only then do I recommend vaulting into the realm of just starch and water called Dai Ginjos. Ironically, when I want to woo somebody away from wine I will offer a Dai Ginjo, but once they see how amazing sake really is I tell them to go back to the beginning. It is about exploration.

Now you know why I won't sell a $150 bottle of Dai Ginjo to somebody who doesn't know sake. In a sense going to the top is cheating. It's like taking an elevator to the top of Mt. Everest. Wow the view may be grand, but knowing the feeling of risking it all on the way up using ropes and fortitude makes the view all the more special. You appreciate the top more when you have tasted the whole mountain.

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I am incredibly pleased to announce that the entire batch of the spring released nama (unpasteurized) sakes sold out in one month as opposed to two last year. Obviously you are enjoying the opportunity to drink extremely fresh and vibrant nama sakes.

In this vein we are pleased to announce the arrival of two spectacular Arabashiri sakes from Masumi and Gokyo. We had both of these late spring nama sakes last year and the feedback that I gathered was extremely impressive. People love Arabashiri sake, which is called first run or rough nama sake. Basically it is unpasteurized, undiluted, and has not been charcoal filtered (not to be confused with nigori sake, which is cloudy). Arabashiri sakes have the lees (rice polishings) filtered out, and are incredibly tasty. Don't miss the boat on these two unique and flavorful sakes. ($35 and $30 respectively)

Is it snowing outside? I don't think so, but don't tell that to the brewery from Hokkaido called Otokoyama. True Sake is pleased to announce the return of Otokoyama's excellent unpasteurized "light snow" sake, which has small dancing grains of rice lees that look like snowflakes. This is a tasty sake, with a full nose of honeydew melon and a nice round honeydew flavor. So if you feel up to a little summer skiing then this nama is for you!

And of course don't forget mom. I mean come on. If it weren't for mom you would never have had your first sip of sake. So why not return the favor. Get mom a Mother's Day Gift of sake. Choose from sparkling, low alcohol, of your favorite filtered or unfiltered sake. And don't forget the packaging. You don't even need to gift wrap some of the amazingly beautiful boxes. Or get mom the gift that keeps giving: sake glassware. We have it all to make mom feel great on her special day.

You can review many of our sakes on our web site: www.truesake.com

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In early April I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Scott Duncan a fellow sake lover and all around great person. Scott came into the store to buy some nigori sake that he loves dearly. We spoke for several minutes before I noticed that Scott was "technically" blind. I told him that I thought that he had a leg up on me when it comes to tasting sake as I feel that when one sense is removed –like sight - it makes your taste sense all the more acute. I don't know if Scott bought this but he told me that he enjoys sake on his sailing boat. He then explained that he is currently in the process of sailing around the globe blind. He and another blind sailor Pamela Habek are trying to become the first blind sailors to do so, and if you are at all interested they have a killer website that allows you to follow them real time. By all means shoot them an email and tell them that your friends at True Sake told you about them. Truly incredible.

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The restaurant sake/food pairing event has been moved to June.

Monday May 23rd:

A "Full Moon" Koshu Tasting. Welcome to the world of aged sakes. This special evening will feature many different styles and categories of aged sake, and will be highlighted by several "once in a lifetime" Koshus that have no peers. Because of the limited quantities of these amazing sakes this event is extremely limited and expensive. 3-5-8-10-25 year old sakes will come alive on a full moon evening for 12 tasters only at $85 per person. Includes perfect Koshu appetizers. We will sell only two tickets per purchaser.

May the best connoisseur win!

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This month's "Ask Beau" question comes from Tamara W, a subscriber to the Newsletter, who asked "What it the best thing to use to dilute my sake so that I can enjoy 2 glasses of it without getting that much alcohol into my system?" Hmmmmm My first impulse was to say spit out every other sip, but then I imagined a party situation and a realized that a pocketbook spittoon isn't that fashionable.

My quick answer is to try a lower alcohol sake. For example Ichinokura Himezen 8% or a Sparkling Sake at 6.5%. If that does not appeal to you then I recommend freezing distilled water and making ice cubes to cut the alcohol content. Don't use tap water or even filtered water as they are both too flavorful and will dominate the nuances of your selected sake. Lastly, there is the other water trick where you drink a glass of water before each glass of sake. Hmmm, and if these don't help then get smaller glasses!

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Wow, are you guys lucky. Thanks to the kindness of Kazu Yamazaki of the Japan Prestige Sake Association (the largest single importer of sake into the US), I am psyched to announce that this month's SECRET WORD sake is one of my top 10 favorite sakes of all time. The brewery is called Gokyo and their "5 Bridges" Junmai is a great example of a layered sake with full umami flavor and a classic junmai finish. This bottle is pictured on many covers of sake books, and is regularly priced at $24. But for you my dear readers a steal at $12. For those who are new to this, the trick is to visit the store and say the secret word under your breath so as to not alert others. Limit one bottle per person, and phone in orders must order a minimum of three other sakes for shipping. And the SECRET WORD is "Shochu Is The Devil."

Please send your sake specific questions to askbeau2 @ truesake.com. (This address is not for general questions and I only review the questions once per month. All correspondence should use info @ truesake.com.)

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Thank you for reading and enjoy both your sake and your life!

True Sake

TRUE SAKE: America's First Sake Store.