Welcome to the August Issue of America's sake-centric newsletter. What an issue if I do say so my darn self! From the outer most boundaries of sake-based liquors to pairing sake with the best of the bayou and from a "newspaper" guy reviewing a Nama Dai Ginjo to the recent earthquake in Niigata this issue is both naughty and nice! PS. Don't forget to come to the "Ten Sake" Sake Tasting across the Street from True Sake on August 16th! (It will be blind and beautiful)

In this issue:

• WARNING - ***Not Suitable For Office Viewing***
• Sake Moment - Yes Sake Goes With Cajun Food!
• Sake Spotlight - Blake Gray Looks At Umenishiki Nama
• Sake Bummers - Niigata Earthquake
• True Sake In The News - Spirit Magazine, MarketWatch, SF Chronicle
• New Store Arrivals - Summer Namas, Watari Bune 55, Kaika Shizuku
• Special Events - August 16th The "Ten Sake" Sake Tasting
• "Ask Beau" - "Will You Mention My Restaurant?"
• The SECRET WORD

Ha! So do I have your attention now? My dear friend and amazing "booze" writer in Japan - Bryan Harrell - sent me an email with the following disclaimer: "Make sure you haven't just finished eating, and that you are not in the middle of a sip of your coffee..." and he then provided a link to something. Oh god! I thought to myself, what could this be? Some wacky Japanese TV show? A clip of Paris Hilton making kimoto-style sake in Hyogo Prefecture? George Bush sneaking a sake bomb with Nancy Pelosi? No my friends, it's worse. Much worse. So bad in fact it made me write this small piece about the future - or one road towards the future of sake in this country and the West in general.

The link is to a new liquor using sake as its base. And this "new" beverage joins ranks with a growing assembly of really "iffy" takes on sake. It appears that many are trying to capitalize on sake in a way that does not do justice to the purity of this supreme libation. We are now seeing the "bastardization" of the sake landscape and this bothers me. Is this the future of sake in the west and should we embrace it? Or is this just another road for consumers to explore on their ride to sake in its purest and simplest form?

Why should it bother the buffoon who published sake cocktails in his book? (EDITOR'S NOTE - they made him do it or the book wouldn't have been printed) Why should it bother the guy who says "Hey as long as the word 'sake' is being used and attracting consumers to real sake then whatever?" Why should it bother the guy who always says "I am a purist but not a snob"? I'll tell you why. It's making my job a helluva lot more difficult. And quite frankly it is running roughshod over my 5 years of trying to educate the good people of planet earth about the wonders of sake. In a word it has crossed "the line."

Several years back some gentlemen came to me looking for support for their new product - vodka infused with sake. Huh? I asked. Why would people want to put Sake in their vodka? And why in god's name would you name this concoction "Wasabe"? Again I must warn you - what you are about to see is extremely graphic - it is not for the feint of sake heart - You have been warned - ***** WARNING WILL ROBINSON WARNING*** (Please turn your volume up for the complete "package")

Wasabe World

So when the guys came into speak about this I basically said that I was confused and was not really too keen on the idea. I was honest. I told them that this would make my job harder by far. What a mixed message it sends out to a world of drinkers who think that sake is a hard alcohol to begin with. Man, I thought to myself! People are just going to see sake as a hard booze - a distilled sauce like shochu or ummmmm vodka!

I basically wished them good luck with their endeavor and thought about a way that I could put this fire out in terms of perception. Then I got a call from Blake Gray the "SF Chronicle" wine writer who said that he was given a press kit for Wasabe with my name in bold saying that I endorsed the product. Aaaaaaaggghhhhhhh. I immediately called their press people and said please remove my name from your materials. They did and I haven't heard much about them since. Again, my complaint is the mixed signal this sends out to the uneducated market. It's not the guys themselves; it's their take on sake - my beloved sake.

Fast forward to lunch I had the other day with one of the unheralded stars of the sake importing world - Ed Lehrman from Vine Connections, who along with Partner Nick Ramkowsky have been doing the lion's share of sake education in the US since 2000. These guys import some seriously good brews from Sato No Homare to Mukune and have made serious inroads for getting sake into western style restaurants. And yes, they have spearheaded the entire education process for sake in America as they use John Gauntner as their sake info guru and consultant. These guys are on the sake A-Team, and that is why I was a bit taken aback when Ed spoke about a new endeavor that they are embarking upon called "Sake2Me." Again I "huh'ed?" "What did you say?" I asked.

Ed explained that "Sake2Me" is not a "sake cooler." It is an entirely new concept in the delivery of sake. Sparkling flavored sakes. Low in alcohol and refreshingly light they come in 4 flavors - Ginger Mango, Yuzu Citrus, Green Tea, Asian Pear. He gave me a mixed 4 pack - very nice packaging - and asked what I thought. And I am certain that he was not looking for my approval or disapproval. He is convinced that it is a new way to capture sake drinkers from the uninformed to the unimpressed with sake. And perhaps he is right. And I will state again that these guys have earned their stripes to do whatever they want with sake. They are very good for the sake world and I look forward to seeing how their efforts pan out and what this will say about the sake landscape down the line.

And now back to what got us here, the email from Bryan Harrell showing me a glimpse of hell on earth. Even on my worst bed of nightmares filled with apocalyptic images of hell boiling over I have never seen an image like this one. Is this the future? Is this life? What have we as Sake Samurais fought for all of these years? What have I dedicated myself to and is it for this? Is this sake's tomorrow and day after? Or is it just the "Day After"?

****** WARNING - WARNING - WARNING - ******

You have time to run! You have time to turn away! Do NOT look at this if you would like to stay pure of sake heart. Your future is now - GO BACK!

I am hoping that you said YES to the over 21 year-old link to enjoy the real "ride of Ty-Ku" sound experience. The music does come on after a minute or two.

Ironically, I was in New Orleans last week for a "booze event" and I met the owner/founder of Ty-Ku. This article was already written when I shook hands with Kirk and I told him that I would play the sake tough guy. Face to face I said that I must protect the "spirit of sake" - no pun intended - and that Ty-Ku did not capture this "spirit." As the conversation un-folded he informed me that he was actually thinking of using shochu instead of sake in Ty-Ku liquor going forward (because sake is "unstable" for making a liquor THANK GOD) and that he wanted to import sake only for his next project. I nodded in agreement - "Yes, shochu, good idea!" We spoke for quite a while and after using my sake Jedi mind magic on him, I believe that he will use the force for better and not worse in years to come.

EDITOR'S NOTE: At 9:47PM police were called to the house of Mr. Beau Timken who was found naked in his bathtub filled with a deadly mixture of Wasabe and Ty-Ku. The coroner's report stated that Mr. Timken died from ingesting a small quantity of this toxic coupling, but it was enough to stop his heart and burn his soul. R.I.P

Back to top

In the middle of July I ventured to New Orleans for a massive cocktail event known as "Tales of the Cocktail." This alcohol fandango accumulated top mixologists, bartenders, authors, and sauce lovers for 5 days of discussing, educating, and celebrating booze (mostly distilled beverages). I was flown down to speak at a seminar called "Sake To Me" (God I cannot wait for this name for sake events to die off like the word "radical") which was sponsored by my friends from Sake One in Oregon. (Sake One makes sake as well as imports Momokawa sake from Japan - we carry several of their imported Momokawa products at the store.)

We did a basic Sake 101 and paired Sake One brews with oysters, gumbo, and chocolate. Sake One also flew down the uber-cool mixologist and restaurant owner Lucy Brennan (Mint) to make a sake cocktail. Lucy is a fellow Chronicle Books author with a great book called "Hip Sips." At another function I was charged with making one of the cocktails from my book - The Orange Blossom - that was pre-made before the event and tasted like dung. But Dewey Weddington from Sake One saved the day by introducing me to "Simple Sauce," which is basically yummy syrup - liquid sugar.

But none of these excursions were my pure desire to venture to NOLA. My real ulterior motive was to take sake out into the bayou. To throw rice and water against HUGE creol flavors such as gumbo, jumbalaya, etoufee, and all other forms of Cajun madness. Many Cajun dishes use the "Big 3" stumbling blocks for pairing sake with food - saturated oils, spice, and tomatoes. So I thought it would be best to venture to the heart of darkness and take the best of Japan and stack it up against the best melting pot of unique dishes in America.

All roads in this grinding life should lead to Coop's Place on Decatur Street in New Orleans. Why? Flavor - Feeling - Freedom! This -what some would call a "dive"- is secretly home to amazingly flavored food and extremely spicy conversation. A feel good destination that makes you relax. There is no other way. Just relax and take in the food, feeling and freedom. The moment started when I called Coop's and asked if I could bring some "wine" to drink at their place. I don't usually say sake in these sort of instances, because the explanation is longer! The manager - Adam - said quite frankly that they like selling their wines. I then said it was sake and I was a freak doing an experiment. After a chuckle he said, "Come'on down, we'll set you up!"

I didn't want to go without another palate so I asked Dewey Weddington to join, and what transpired has changed my energy for the future of sake ten-fold! Going through the doors of Coop's I sort of gulped with pleasure because it is "divey." So we took a small table and Adam gave us a couple of plastic cups. I smiled. This was perfect - sake out of plastic cups in the French Quarter in New Orleans. After reading the menu on the wall I decided to get a sampler plate - Dewey did the same. I am certain that by now you are wondering what sakes I brought. As I didn't know the people at Coop's I only brought two bottles - Hakkaisan Honjozo and Kikuhime Dai Ginjo. Why? Well one is a really food friendly affordable brew and the other is a masterpiece Dai Ginjo ($125) and I wanted to show the range of sake. (The sakes were semi- chilled out of plastic cups)

Herewith in bullet point are the results of this Cajun-Sake Spectacle:

• 1st Dish - Seafood Gumbo
  The full sizzle of the gumbo gets "muted" by the Honjozo. The flavor is relaxed and the combination has more of a "smoothing" effect. This was good but the Dai Ginjo was better. The Kikuhime brought out the peppery flavor of the soup, rather than muting it. The viscosity of the brew coats the spiciness and brings out the sweetness of the sake. I wrote that it was like a "Mouth Handshake of Flavor and Feeling." A beautiful sweet heat flavor. We both preferred the Dai Ginjo with the Gumbo.

• 2nd Dish - Jumbalaya with Rabbit Sausage
  This was perhaps one of the best pairings of the night as the Honjozo embraced the tomato of this dish and created a round and roasted flavor that had so much smooth feeling and dexterity. The acidity of the tomatoes blended perfectly with the dryness of the Honjozo to create a "well-melded" flavor. On the other hand the Dai Ginjo, which has a higher acidity than the Honjozo didn't go as well. There was immediate conflict. The balance wasn't as sound. That said the Dai Ginjo did great with the rabbit sausage.

• 3rd Dish - Shrimp Creol
  This dish is sauced with tomatoes and green peppers, which you would think would go better with the Honjozo as mentioned above with the Jumbalaya. But nooooooooo! The Honjozo became almost neutral. It disappeared. I wrote that the pairing became sort of bland. Whereas the Dai Ginjo sucked in all the hot pepper flavors and pushed back with a rich fruitiness that highlighted the spice. Another example of a sweet heat play. We both agreed that the Dai Ginjo made the dish more exciting and the Honjozo worked as a fire stopper - it cut the flavor to the quick.

• 4th Dish - Cajun Fried Chicken
  Firstly a huge "Oh My Gawd!" Probably the best tasting bird that has ever nested in my mouth. What a salty-oily-crispy blend of flavors. And to think it was right there between my greasy fingers. I am hungry as I type this! Well, one would expect that something oily and salty would go with the Honjozo, and yes siree the Honjozo "rocked" with the slickness of this dish. The clean and smooth sake danced with the oiliness of the bird and the edgy flavors all balanced out into one blissful mouth pairing. The Dai Ginjo also went very well on a different level. The sweetness of the brew pulled even more saltiness - yum - and the slickness filled the mouth as the fatness of the Dai Ginjo left residual flavors in the mouth for the oils to attach themselves to. Also a good pairing but we leaned towards the Honjozo.

• 5th Dish - Crayfish Etoufee
  Also with tomatoes and green peppers so we didn't know which sake would work on this cat! Lo and behold the Dai Ginjo conflicted and became "chippy." The hot and spicy character didn't bring forth the sweet heat yumminess. The acidity tossed the Dai Ginjo to the mat. That said, the Honjozo came roaring back with a smoothness that mellowed the madness and produced a smooth and confident collection of flavors. Round and delicious. We both preferred the Honjozo with the Etoufee.

• 6th Dish - Red Beans and Rice
  These spicy and smoky little monsters are usually served as a side dish, but as they are so prevalent I wanted to hit them straight up. Yes rice against rice! The Honjozo got a little dizzy with the texture of the beans and the spice went over this brew's head. I wrote "unbalanced" on my now greasy notepad in writing that tells me that I was enjoying myself. The Dai Ginjo did much better - go figure! A $125 bottle of sake out of plastic paired with rice and beans - because the viscosity of the brew took the texture of the beans and melded them together. I wrote the pairing was "strong" and that the sweetness of the sake (it's not that sweet) pulled the smokiness of the beans and created a solid pairing. We both preferred the Dai Ginjo.

• 7th Dish - Creol Softshell Crab
  This dish came compliments of Coop himself who finally joined this weird experiment. He sat with us and tasted each of the sakes and paired it with bites from our plates (good man), and I could tell that he was impressed. MY JOB WAS DONE - THE MAN HIMSELF SMILED WITH EACH SIP AND BITE - THE POTENTIAL WAS NOW A REALITY. The crab was sweet and oily and the Honjozo went well, but not as well as the Dai Ginjo. What was funny was the fried shell went better with the Honjozo and the meat went better with the Dai Ginjo as the sweeter brew pulled more of the sweetness of the meat. At this point there were so many flavors doing the jig inside of my mouth and I was focusing on speaking with Coop that I didn't pick a favorite pairing for this dish - Doh! But they both went well enough that I didn't write imbalanced or something like that.

All in all this was one of the coolest sake adventures that I ever been privy to. It just worked on so many levels. So when you next go to NOLA bring a bottle of brew and take it to the street. Oh, and since I was with Dewey from Sake One you can be certain that they will try to get their brews on Coop's menu. He is game and I will bow and say thank you for breaking through yet again by taking sake to the frontiers and showing that we belong! We Belong!

Here is a quick link to a story in the SF Chronicle about this cocktail event.

Back to top

"Sake Spotlight" is a unique section within the Newsletter that takes a closer look at specific sakes that may be purchased at True Sake. I approach different professionals within the industry to give their perspectives and insights to the how, what and why's for very special sakes. These insiders are importers, brewers, authors, sake sommeliers, or just enthusiasts who will take your knowledge base a little further. What I like about this segment is that often my review is quite different than that of the guest professional's adding to the point that there is no right or wrong when discussing your opinion about sake.

This month I approached my buddy Blake Gray who is a wine writer for the San Francisco Chronicle to write about one of our more unique sakes at True Sake. He was doing a "What's In Your Glass" column for the Chronicle and we decided to kill two birds with one stone by selecting a sake that has a "story." So what follows is Blake's take for the paper plus a bonus recorded review of this brew.

W. Blake Gray lived in Japan for most of the 1990s and wrote about sake long before he started writing about wine for the San Francisco Chronicle. He also has written for Food & Wine magazine and Wine & Spirits. Blake's wife Mami is Japanese and is a food-and-wine blogger herself. He prefers drier sakes while Mami likes a touch of sweetness. Both of them are delighted that good sake has become much easier to obtain in the last five years. Blake believes that as sake continues to crack the wine lists of non-Japanese restaurants, we're finally moving away from the "wine-cooler" era of sake cocktails into a wider understanding of just how great sake really is. (This was crafted by Blake as an introduction)

So take it away Blake and take a Spotlight to Umenishiki Nama Junmai Dai Ginjo:

To listen to Blake review this sake click this link. Or to read what Blake wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle click on this link. Scroll down the page until you see the "Sipping News"

If you do not like clicking links then this is what Blake crafted:

Umenishiki Nama Junmai Daiginjo sake ($23 for 500ml) What sold us: This summery sake is an unusual one from the Japanese island of Shikoku. "Nama" means unpasteurized; nama sakes typically have fresh fruit flavors. But nama daiginjos are rare. A daiginjo sake is brewed from rice that has been ground down to 50 percent or less of its original size. The process is supposed to reduce impurities and leads to creamy, ethereal, fragrant sakes -- at odds with the typical nama taste profile. This sake combines the fresh green melon flavors you might expect from a nama with the fresh cream flavors you might expect from a daiginjo. That may sound like dessert, but it's actually on the dry side and delicious with sashimi. Where to find: True Sake (San Francisco) -- W. Blake Gray

Thank you very much Blake! I have been selling this brew for four years now, and three of those years I have been scratching my head and asking myself why? No not why do I sell it, but rather why do they make it? Why make a Nama Dai Ginjo? It just seems sort of confusing to me. And for three years I didn't see the magic, but this year I did! Herewith is my review and please keep in mind we only have two more cases of this seasonal sake:

•

Umenishiki "Gorgeous Plum" From Ehime Prefecture. Nama Junmai Dai Ginjo. SMV: +4 Acidity: 1.2 This extremely elegant Nama Dai Ginjo (not many of those around) has a lively nose with hints of cherry, grape, vanilla and sea salt tones. Think clean and fruity when trying a Nama that is built to enhance the subtleties found in Dai Ginjo sake. The tip of the tongue stays fruity whilst the finish is semi-dry and everything in between captures nuanced elements such as apple, mango and ripe plum expressions. Round, creamy, and soft this "high end" Nama captures an elegance not found in too many raw sakes. WORD: Elegant WINE: Pinot Noir/ Dry whites BEER: Belgian Ales FOODS: Sushi, sashimi, gently flavored cuisines. $23/500ml

This was my favorite Nama of the 4 summer Nama releases!

Back to top

As I have a difficult stopping this ongoing mass of inertia I would like to create another sake section for this Newsletter and I have aptly entitled it "Sake Bummer." This segment will focus on events, happenings, trends, and anything else that hurts my sake industry for whatever reason. This reason can even be generated by Mother Nature herself, which brings us to this month's Sake Bummer.

It is a simple fact - Japan and earthquakes go together like raw fish and rice. The island lays on several major fault lines and their tectonic plates are constantly being juggled like a "spinning dishes on sticks" circus act. Without sounding insensitive - I will forgo the human tragedy aspect of these disasters and focus on the effects on the sake industry in particular.

Over a decade ago there was a massive earthquake in Kobe that reeked havoc on several breweries including one that I visited several years later (Take no Koi). Of course the destruction hurts in all capacities but what "hurt" them the most was the loss of history - the history of the flavor of their sake. In their particular case they lost all of their proprietary yeasts that they had been saving/cultivating for decades. Gone. Not to be replaced - ever! They also lost their koji room, which is also a massive loss in that they lost the flavor component and consistency of the "taste" of that room. A new koji room - with new wood - produces a different flavored koji rice and consequently a different flavored sake. This was and still is to this day a huge loss for this brewery.

Fast forward to Niigata Prefecture several years ago, when another major quake did serious damage to many local kuras. One in particular - the quite famous Asahi Shuzo kura makers of Kubota - lost a ton of sake that had already been made and was waiting for release. For those who love Manju, this quake destroyed roughly 70% of their inventory of this Dai Ginjo and as a result they raised the price on the remaining stock. I had to increase the price of Manju at True Sake until they produced more.

Well now let's fast forward again to last month when Japan had yet another roller, which epicentered near Niigata once again. At first thought I said to myself "Oh no not again" and I sent out several emails to some of my brewers and importers to get an assessment of damages. One reply I received immediately was that of Ataru Kobayashi of the Niigata Sake Group who said the following:

Hello Beau-san, As you may have heard, the Niigata Prefecture was hard hit by a big earthquake last Monday. I wanted to let you know that none of our eleven "Niigata Sake Selections" suppliers have been damaged and no owner families and no employees have been injured by the earthquake. I do not expect it will cause any shortage or supply problems. Most of 98 sake breweries in Niigata are currently operating as usual without having major damages by the earthquake. It is reported, however, that Hara Shuzo (Koshino Homare) in Kashiwazaki City and Yoyogiku in Kakizaki were badly damaged. It appears that a couple of other breweries in the Kashiwazaki area have had minor damages as well. I just pray for their quick recoveries. Regards, Ataru Ataru Kobayashi SENA New York, Inc. *Niigata Sake Selections*

I breathed a sigh of relief for their safety and then I re-read the email. And that is when the name Koshino Homare jumped out at me. Hey, we sell one of their brews! Indeed we do - a seasonal Nama Junmai that is quite popular! So I fired off an email to them to see if all was well. Herewith is their website that shows some of the destruction. Luckily nobody was hurt and most of the damage was to a storage facility. Miwa - True Sake's Manager - also noted that they were trying to salvage the sake that was stored in this part of the brewery and you can see the yellow cases stacked with sake.

The good news is that life goes on. They are rebuilding as we speak and life continues. It will be interesting to see if we get more Koshino Homare next spring. Keep your fingers crossed. I made a call to the importer of this sake and asked if we could purchase the damaged inventory - as in dirty bottles, ripped labels etc to help support their efforts from our end. I have yet to hear back, but if we could move 10 or 15 cases of their sake this would send a brotherly signal to the makers back in Japan. I will keep you posted.

Back to top

The mission of sending out sake's siren call continues in whatever media outlet is smart enough to take notice. This month we got "picked up" by two extreme opposites - an In-Flight airline rag and a hard-core beverage industry publication. The first take is from Southwest Airlines and is sort of funny, because I was interviewed for the piece but the way they wrote it makes it look like I wrote the thing! Basically they called and said where in the US should we drink sake and why? So I picked several spots that mean different things to sake! Since it is a short piece I will post a link here and then will add the text below.

The second hit was from a "Marvin Shanken" publication called MarketWatch, which is not available on-line - sorry! It is pretty much a trade rag for the wine, beer and spirits sector. And they did a very nice job covering the "angles" of sake in today's restaurant settings. "Sake's New Age" by Bridget Eldridge in the July-August issue. They used several of our store's photos and the usual suspects in the sake world get quoted, but I think that I spent the most time speaking with Bridgett so the take is heavily skewed to the True Sake impressions of sake. That said there are several glaring mistakes with some of the numbers that she aggregated.

Lastly, there is a summary of the Cocktail event that I spoke at in New Orleans in the SF Chronicle. This is a cocktail-centric event that flew me down to speak the gospel of a fermented beverage to those devilish distilled folks.

From Southwest Airlines - Spirit Magazine: Sake Bars Think sake is just sushi's sidekick? Think again. The finest rice wines require no accompaniment, taste best when chilled, and reward your palate with intense flavors that range from floral to fruity to nutty. Beau Timken, author of Sake: A Modern Guide (Chronicle) and proprietor of San Francisco-based spirits shop True Sake, has traveled the world in pursuit of the finest varieties. Here he shares four of his favorite spots to sip a modern vintage. Ozumo (San Francisco) With 85 different kinds of sake, Ozumo has the widest selection on the West Coast. Pine floors, cushioned banquettes, and soft lighting create an elegant setting for newcomers to try a flight—a sampler arranged according to intensity—for an instant education. Veterans should consider a rare bottle like Tedorigawa Mangekyo, limited to just 200 in the United States. 161 Steuart St. Shibuya (Las Vegas) Visitors to the MGM Grand shouldn't skip Shibuya. Named after one of Tokyo's super-trendy neighborhoods, the bar's fittingly sleek design features traditional Japanese woodwork. The glass-walled sake cellar houses vintages from Hiroshima to Hokkaido. Ask Shibuya's full-time sommelier for a recommendation. I prefer sakes from the Niigata prefecture, the Napa Valley of Japan. Try the sushi with Shibuya's fresh wasabi grated straight from the root. 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South Sasaya (Los Angeles) Designed with lots of exposed brick and wood, Sasaya is a cozy, comfortable izakaya—meaning "sake culture," but it might as well mean "sake pub." Ads adorn the walls promoting 16 sake varieties that change every six months. Order a dry, smooth Otokoyama or a sweeter, spicy Kikusui. If you're unsure, tell the bartender your favorite wine, and he'll give you a comparable recommendation. 'Izakayas are sake pubs where people go after work to relax—the Japanese equivalent of the bar in Cheers' 11613 Santa Monica Blvd. Decibel (New York City) Located in the basement of an East Village tenement since 1993, Decibel sells sake for common folks. Relax in the hip, unpretentious atmosphere while sampling recommendations from the sake-savvy waitstaff. I like the dry, light Suishin and the fragrant, full-bodied Umenishiki. An intimate bar setting, small tables, and generously poured servings make Decibel a perfect place to learn about sake without worrying about price or pretense. 240 E. Ninth St.

Back to top

Okay - they're still here for a short time! The "Late Spring" "Early Summer" Namas are back in the store and ready for your drinking attention. On the whole this four-pack of unpasteurized sakes are more subdued and elegant than the roaring Genshus that came in the "Early Spring." This particular collection speaks in several directions - as they did last year. The theme however is light and dryer with hints of fruit and far more clean drinking experiences. Our top selling Nama from last season the Ohyama Nama (just fun saying that!) is back along with stellar offerings from Umenishiki, Tsukasabotan and Otokoyama.

In a nutshell (Like Austin Powers - "Hey look, I'm in a nutshell") if you are looking for the most "Nama" of experiences look toward the Ohyama where fruit is balanced out in sort of a dry way! If you want crisp and clean take hold of the Tsukasabotan. For that super soft drinking experience gravitate towards the Otokoyama. And for the most elegant of the lot try the Umenishiki Junmai Dai Ginjo Nama for a clean and creamy experience.

Also we have a new Junmai Ginjo offering and a Dai Ginjo that has been around, but not reviewed.

•

Watari Bune 55 "Ferry Boat" From Ibaraki Prefecture. Junmai Ginjo. SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.5 The nose on this Ginjo is filled with mineral, cherry, beet, and grain elements. Talk about a "boat ride" of flavors and feelings - this earthy brew has deep and rich elements highlighted by a vein of fruit - melon - hidden amongst the layers of nutty and woody tones. Some say they like the compact personality of this sake, whilst others say they feel a vast array of complexity, but all agree that it is smooth and excessively drinkable. This rice strain is the father to Yamadanishiki so it is no wonder that the flavors pop and the feeling is smooth. WORD: Earthy WINE: Dirty reds/earthy whites BEER: Pilsners FOODS: Grilled salty fish, yakitori, hearty soups, meaty pasta. $17/300ml

•

Kaika Tobindori Shizuku From Tochigi Prefecture. Dai Ginjo Shizuku. SMV: +5 Acidity: 1.2 Hand's down the best packaging in sake - replicates the bottles used for national sake competitions. The dynamic nose on this "Shizuku - gravity trickle" sake is made up of sea water, melon, magnolia, vanilla, and marshmallow elements. This is a very intense Dai Ginjo with a lot of "action" in a very soft and succulent delivery. Chewy and dry it has hints of fruit but overall drinks dry with a tickle of umami hidden amongst crisp flavor expressions. It is indeed soft and has a way of grabbing your attention one drop at a time. WORD: Soft WINE: Deep reds/complex whites BEER: Belgian ales FOODS: Cuisine celebrating complexity! $125/720ml

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

Our inventory list is here.

Back to top

Ten Sakes Plus Snacks & A Free Tasting Glass!! • When: Thursday August 16th 5:00-7:30PM Come and Go As You Wish! • Where: 581 Hayes Street Across the street from True Sake (Beside Fritz) • What: A Blind Sake Tasting Featuring 10 Great Brews In No Particular Order • How Much: $20/Taster Tickets will be available in advance and during tasting at True Sake. 415.355.9555

Back to top

This month's AskBeau question comes from David R. in Hartford, Connecticut. David is a Newsletter reader and he asked a very simple question - one that I admire him for asking:

"Will you pimp my place?"

Just Joking David! He did not write that at all, In fact he sent a nice email saying that he would appreciate if I could give his yakitori restaurant and bar that features sake a plug in the "Sake Destinations" section of the Newsletter. And for asking he gets the look!

But as I must be fair to all, I will start a new "service." Sight unseen I will promote any sake destination for those who read the newsletter. We must all stick together correct? And as David suggested I will add these "places" to the Sake Destinations section of the Newsletter every month. So if you own a place, or know somebody who owns a place and does justice to sake then I want to know! I will shill their "sake destination" so that readers have a chance to see for themselves.

So a big thank you to David R from Hartford who owns Koji Yakitori and Sake - The next time that you are in Hartford give them a look (then let me know what you think!)

For more info on this restaurant, which boasts over 40 sakes, click here.

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.)

Back to top

Ah, at last we have reached the end of this Newsletter and that of course means that we have come to the now-famous SECRET WORD. To those who are new the SECRET WORD is a chance for you to try a sake of note for half of that sake's original price. Just for reading this Newsletter. It is our way of saying thank you for trying to understand the wonders of sake. And in this regard we typically select a sake with a story, and this month's story is "YOU DECIDE!" Is it a "Keeper"? We want to know if we should stock this brew in our vast inventory and would like for you to make the call!

Please remember the rules: only one bottle per reader, and don't tell your buddy at the moment if he/she isn't a Newsletter subscriber, always use a hushed or secret agent voice when saying the SECRET WORD, and lastly for those who have their sakes shipped we can only include the SECRET WORD sake in a four-pack purchase - meaning you must buy three other sakes.

This month's sake is a solid and affordable Junmai from Ichinokura (Miyagi Prefecture). Ichinokura translates to "Ace Brewery," so we ask you kind readers is this sake all "aces?" Should we sell it all of the time? Does it cut the mustard? Please reply to the Newsletter email with a "ACE YES" or "ACE NO" in the subject line.

This Junmai would sell for $22/720ml bottle but for you sake-jockeys we will part with this brew for $11. And the SECRET WORD is "Ace Me."

Back to top

Thank you for reading!

True Sake

TRUE SAKE: America's First Sake Store.