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May 2008

True Sake
premier merchants of fine sake
Dear Sake Drinker,

Welcome to the May Issue of America's sake-centric newsletter. In this edition travel to London and partake in a massive sake and wine tasting, tip your cap to "The Sake Guy," get ready to do some rice shortage panic sake buying, karate chop two Dai Ginjos, and check out the bevy of new Nama sakes!

In this issue:



Sake Relevance - BT Does The IWC in the UK

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) is an annually judged wine tasting event that takes place in London every April. Last year was the first year that this prestigious competition included sake. This year they asked me to act as a Senior Judge for the sake tasting. How could I turn down the opportunity to taste over 300 brews? I couldn't and I didn't!

The IWC is the largest private tasting event in the wine world and over 3,500 wines get graded accordingly. One of the co-founders Sam Harrop MW - which means Master of Wine and is quite an accomplishment - is a fellow Sake Samurai, who was formally a buyer for Marks and Spencer. The President of the Sake Samurai Association Mr. Koichi Saura (better known as the owner of Urakasumi brewery) asked if I would do the honor of representing sake and the Sake Samurai at this heavily skewed-towards-wine event. Duty and honor called and I took to London in April to not only act as the Senior Judge but to co-host a Sake Master Class for all of the professionals in attendance.

For two weeks in April the best European/Asian/American wine experts descend upon the MASSIVE Barbican Center in London to rip apart over 3,500 wines giving grades to each wine from 1-100. I will never forget the image of well over 10,000 wine and sake bottles (each vintner and brewer had to send 6 bottles per entry for quality control issues lined up in columns on the floor of two huge rooms. It looked like the famed Terracotta Soldiers buried deep within Chinese soil.) Please see picture, which sadly I had to take with my phone as I forgot my camera!

Last year the IWC graded 120 sakes and this year that number exploded to over 300. Can anybody send wine or sakes to be graded? Yes! But one must pay roughly $300 per entrant plus the expense of sending a case to London. In return brewers or vintners may advertise their grades/awards (Bronze-Silver-Gold) from the IWC to the consumer world.

In all there were 23 judges for the sake competition (14 men and 8 women). Many of the judges flew in from Japan - most were local to Europe and were an assortment of sommeliers and retailers from different EU nations. I was pretty impressed with the quality of the judges. Several of the older Japanese judges are heroes in the sake world including Mr. Koji Takahashi who is a "fermentation professor" at the best Ag university in Japan and has personally trained royal subjects in Japan, Kenichi Ohashi who is recognized as the best "Caviste" in Japan and is also a retailer, and Satoshi Kimijima who owns the best sake and wine store in Yokohama (awesome place). Other notables from Europe were Simon Hofstra from Holland Ake Nordgren from Sweden, Jean-Louis Naveilhan and Emma Dalton from the UK.

Our task was to taste the brews in flights ranging from 8-12 per flight - grade personally then discuss for a consensus grade given by myself. Each flight had parameters such as a Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Dai Ginjo flight or a Junmai flight or a Ginjo flight etc with a bottling date on each brew. There were no completely mixed flights! And of course each bottle of sake was covered to keep its identity unknown. As the Senior Judge I was briefed to speak to the group about flavor and balance points and also to find faults if a sake was deemed to be faulty and as such would need another bottle to examine. The scoring sheet went as follows 50-69 POOR / 70-74 MEDIOCRE / 75-79 ADEQUATE / 80-84 COMMENDED / 85-100 MEDAL. This was for the first day of tasting. Only the Senior Judges would re-taste the Medalists the second day.

Before we started tasting I spoke to the group about some things that they should consider. As the flights were all pretty much categorical I made the serious point of judging each sake separately as a stand- alone brew. I did not want them to compare two or three off of each other to derive a grade. I also wanted them to taste for their field. I said forget yourself and being the "champion of your own palate" - grade as if you were standing over a table as a sommelier for your diners or grade as a store owner thinking for his/her customers. I focused on balance and drinkability.

From the very first flight it became evident - shockingly evident - that the Japanese palate and the European/Western palate were at odds! The scores in some instances were 10-15 points a part on brews. On a personal note I noticed that amongst the judges I had a Japanese Junmai perspective and a Western Ginjo/Dai Ginjo perspective. I felt as if I leaned towards more impact with the G's and DG's and the Japanese guys were going lighter and dryer. I was sort of in hog heaven asking why as Swedish guy gave a Ginjo an 82 and a Japanese Sommelier why he gave the exact same brew a 70? (God I love talking about sake!)

My job was to extract a consensus - not to make up minds - and more often than not when we re-tried a certain problematic brew the far apart tasters were not really ready to raise or decrease their number. So usually I tossed the high and low and looked for a grouping that best targeted the strength of each sake. Out of the lot I probably had to pick the final grade just from my expertise for roughly 12-15 brews. That said I was pretty stingy! I am not proud of this, but I did not give out many awards. There were more overall golds given this year than last, but the silver and bronze numbers were down. (I had some very serious discussions with the founders of this event about this - in one sense they are wine purists who know when a wine should score well or not, but they also know that it would be better for their overall marketability if more sakes received medals to show to the sake drinking world.)

The first day went extremely well, but I was really blown away by the variance and style differences between the Japanese and Western palates. Most of the Japanese judges had what I call the "old Japanese guy" palate, which has an affinity for lighter and dryer Ginjo and Dai Ginjo sakes with lots of astringency and long tails. They preferred almost a crispness that borders on an appreciation for an alcohol taste. Full, compact and brisk. Whereas the Western drinkers like the more "wine-like" brews with lots of fruit and lots of acidity - with most of the action going on up front and not in the finish. But then the Junmai category flights brought out the inverse, where the Japanese judges liked the more full-bodied and rich brews - with a hint of umami - and the Western judges preferred the lighter and dryer brews that had almost a tannin-like dryness to them. Without seeing all of the stats I'd argue that the Westerners gave out more medals than the Japanese judges, but the Japanese judges gave out more golds. (This is speculation on my behalf.)

The second day was made up of the Senior Judges and representatives of the IWC founder's committee. Our task was to take the Medalists and to determine if in fact they deserved medals and then which brews won each of the categories. We also added extra "prefecture" trophies for brews that deemed respect but did not win outright in their category. This was excellent stuff! On the whole the quality of the winners was very evident! But there were several sakes that I felt just did not belong - at all! Therein rests the reasons why we voted as a group.

I am not at liberty to say which categories had the most Medalists, and also which categories had the most trophies. But I can say that when selecting the grand champion of the event - comparing all category winners in one flight - I voted my heart and not my head. My head would have gone along with the very slim majority who felt the champion of the show was the best brew and would be more universally available and appealing to the masses. My heart gave a 99 to a sake that was flat out superb and truly a sake that sake lovers would enjoy. But it does not have the same universal appeal and availability as the eventual winner. (On a side and personal note - the Honjozo flights were great across the board and perhaps my favorites.)

I think that in retrospect the event was a fabulous success. Of course we had some kinks. We had some issues. But the end result was that the sakes spoke for themselves and the tasting participants from Japan and "everywhere else" reached a commonality in scope and appreciation for certain brews. In this light I was reminded that I tasted the winners from the 2007 IWC after a massive tasting event that I did in Fushimi last year and was not really impressed - maybe it had something to do with the over 400 brews that I had just tasted. Bottom line - and this holds true in most tasting occasions such as this - the brews for that moment in time caught the attention of a majority of tasters and they represent a brewing second in the clockwork of making sake.

This event and others like it will go a long way in exploring and highlighting the commonality and the differentiation between the Japanese and Western palate. There is indeed a difference! There is also a common appreciation for balance and well-made brews that transcends the many differences. The point is that wine drinkers make up only a segment of the Western drinkers and there is an entire monolithic group of sake drinkers who know what they do and don't like. As the West tastes more sake we will be in a better position in the future to determine drinking patterns that can and will be incorporated in the production of sake as a whole. So I will continue to rest on my motto of "Align with wine drinkers - Align with all drinkers!" for the promotion of sake.

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Sake Moment - JG Turns 100

I'd like to take a moment to mark a milestone for my buddy John Gauntner who just submitted his 100th Sake World Newsletter this month. That century mark is quite an achievement - so says the lowly dude who is submitting his 45th News Letter this month.

The professionalism and dependability of John's sake writings are second to none - in the English tongue! (Saw Dr. Seuss tonight!) And I tip my cap to a guy who has busted his rear doing the very difficult job of extolling the meaning and virtues of this most sacred beverage.

For those without calculators 100 issues translates to 8 ¼ years of putting lips to glass - pen to paper - fingers to keyboard and - efforts to virtual sake fanatics world wide. John went from the Japan Times to the big time because of his love and resolve for sake and we are all indebted to his enthusiasm and love for the brew.

I know how hard it is to crank out meaningful - insightful - and useful information once a month / every month. (Not saying that I produce meaningful-insightful-useful info!) And I know how demanding it is raise the bar each issue. JG puts incredible pressure on himself and it shows! (I also tip my cap to John's most excellent wife, who probably sees the dark side of the beast when certain issues just wont write themselves.)

So drop John a note - tell him to keep it up! He's got at least another 250 issues in him!

We are lucky to have this man in our corner of the masu.

PS. JG did not sign off on this photo!

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Sake Bummer - RICE PANIC '08

I am not oblivious. I am not unaware of current events on the whole. And I am not one for panic. So when one plus one plus one started jumping up and down in front of my face I had to do some real time adding it up.

If you have just walked out of your cave then take note - there is a global rice panic! I won't go into my diatribe about how modern news cycles create such panics routinely nor will I speak to the perceived reasons of said panic, but I will say ohm shanti shanti ( I don't know what this means, but my four year-old daughter mutters it when she needs to relax - learned it from her yoga instructor).

On April 28th I called one of my sake distributors to order some brews for the store. The gentleman who works for this mostly food distributing company, said Beau there is a "rice emergency." He thought that since I sold a rice-based beverage then I would be interested to know that their consumption rice prices are 50% higher at the moment and in June will shoot up 100%. He said something about farmers growing more corn - farmers not exporting from certain Asian countries - bad crops in Japan. He finished by saying that this problem will get worse next year.

So after renting a U-Haul van and buying 10,000 pounds of rice from Costco I got to thinking - what about gluttonous rice? We all know that sake brewing rice is not made for consumption - you can eat it but it's not very nice at all. Is there a brewing rice shortage? Is there a brewing rice panic? Will this represent the old days of the war-torn sake history when Japan placed a ban on making sake, so that Japanese soldiers all over the globe could eat rice? During this dark period of time alcohol became the norm to stretch out batches of sake - even to the point of not using rice at all to make a synthetic sake. Are we there? Should you good people start to panic - should you start panic buying as much sake as possible? The answer is YES. Buy as much sake as possible. Email us your credit card numbers. Quickly! Buy like mad.

Ohm Shanti Shanti - say it with me people! The answer is no. There is no sake panic! No sake brewing rice panic. Not yet at least. When I was in Kyoto last fall nine out of ten of my brewers said that their rice harvests were superb this year (one reason is that they had very few typhoons). One of my brewers in Nagano said that they had a very hot summer and this suppressed quality and yield. But on the whole folks were happy! This rice crop has been and is currently being brewed and stored and I still have not heard more than one brewer say anything about a shortage. So we are not in a crisis mode! Nevertheless as I watch the news cycle religiously and base my life thoughts upon what cable news anchors tell me - I have decided to raise the price of sakes at True Sake by 50% then by 100% in June. YES!

That is a joke, but what lays ahead for us may not be that funny. Typically sake brewing rice is more expensive than average consumption rice. One could argue that it is easier to grow consumption rice on the whole (most brewing rice is quite tall and susceptible to high winds), so it is not out of the realm of crazy to think that many farmers will switch to making consumption rice next season. This is especially true if the current pricing scale continues in such a fashion. People do not need to drink sake. People need to eat. Will this shortage play itself out? Will calm be restored? Basically I predict that most exporters/importers will use this panic to factor in the real devastating animal in this dogfight - the elevated fuel costs that filter all the way down to small breweries in so many capacities. So when you see "rice panic" for now think "fuel panic" because you will be paying higher prices for sake for this reason. We could have a slew of farmers change crops next year in Japan. This may impair next year's sake, but more immediately expect the pain to come from the weak buck and the high pump prices. As one major importer told me, "We have held our prices constant for as long as we can - it's now out of our hands - the weak dollar and the cost of gas must be reflected in the price of our sakes."

Now that is something to panic about!

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Sake Spotlight - Alex Vanderburgh Challenges Two Dai Ginjos

"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.

Alex Vanderburgh is a Japanophile of note who was bitten by the martial arts bug that bites so many. He developed a martial arts / emotional intelligence combination program to youth all over the bay area. http://www.martialplay.com The programs are in elementary, Middle Schools, and at a national HMO. Alex holds a Shodan (first Degree) black belt in Kenpo Karate, a Shodan in Okinawan Kobudo, (weapons) and a Sandan (third degree black belt) in Aikido. Basically he is one of my more bad-ass costumers who came to sake with the same zest and zeal as he did to martial arts. I first started taking note of Alex when he would come into the store with list upon list. Everybody knows that I love folks with lists. Alex's list was compiled of the 50 brews that I recommended trying in my book, plus a secondary list of sakes from John G's book, and a personal list of sakes tasted in Japan. Is Alex a sommelier - No! Is he a writer - No! Is he an authority - No! But he is passionate - extremely passionate about sake and that is why I asked him to pick a brew or two that jumped out at him on his journeys.

Alex provided me a list of sakes that he felt compelled to write about. I said whooooaaaaaa - way too many! But two brews stood out and I challenged Alex to compare and contrast two very different Dai Ginjos that we sell at True Sake. Most consumers pigeon hole Dai Ginjo into the soft/light/layered category, but few have been overpowered by big and bombastic premium brews. So Alex took the bait and herewith is his review of two Junmai Dai Ginjos - tigers of differing stripes.

Tail of Two Dai Ginjos- Harushika and Senpuku Kura

Although I am new to the world of Sake- just finishing my first year- I could not resist the pun for this comparison. I am still struggling for the words that describe how radically different these two are- yet both wonderful in their own ways. They are both classified as Dai Ginjo, and both have a 50% seimeibui on their labels, but taste and feel like two different worlds. Side by side Senpuku Kura is 5 weight classes away. As a martial artist I would have to say that if they had to fight it out in the ring Senpuku Kura would knock Harushika out in one strike....but....my girlfriend absolutely loved Harushika and hated Senpuku Kura.

Where Senpuku Kura is bold, with a full body and a tail that lasts for days, Harushika was light, reminiscent of Yaegaki's Mu (which she also likes) It tricks you into thinking you are drinking water for a second, then suddenly the nuances start to appear and it blossoms into an amazing watercolor painting of flavor. Part of my brain wanted to find the reasons, the facts, the why this clear liquid in this bottle, that looks just like that clear liquid can possibly taste so amazingly different.

I did find, after checking the details, that Senpuku Kura lists on the label it is made from "senbonishiki rice" which I could not find in any references for in my 6 sake books. Many sake are made with Yamadanishiki, some with Omachi, or several other sake rices- but I have not so far found much about this varietal. (With my luck I will learn that it is just another way of saying Yamada nishiki in Japanese) Of course, there is the water, I am sure the water in Nara, near the pacific ocean, must have different characteristics than the water in Hiroshima, on the east side.

The SMV did not offer much in the way of clues, with Harushika at +2.5 and Senpuku Kura at +3.0 Ultimately I am left appreciating the mystery- and the magic of the sake making process itself. Who knows what secrets the Toji have in making each one of these two sake. I realize now I must taste these two again- side by side- (of course- after I recover from April 15th!) I found that Harushika earned a place at the dinner table in Noe valley- while Senpuku Kura and I went off to my tent in the Marin Headlands. It went quite will with my backpacking staple meal of Ramen and beef jerky while huddled in my tent- and kept me warm in the wind and rain- the bold flavor and body able to match the elements.

Harushika stayed in the dry warm home in the city- like my significant other- who thinks that "roughing it" means a Bed and Breakfast in Mendicino- not interested in howling wind and rain. Perhaps this metaphor best describes the differences in these two sakes. Where Harushika is subtle and delicate, Senpuku Kura is bold and beefy. Where Harushika is urban and sophisticated, Senpuku Kura is wild and wooly- yet all within a range of parameters that are similar, both have a sense of refinement, layered, complex and interesting flavors- with a lingering note of what I can only so far call something that reminds me of a wintergreen lifesaver.

Well done Alex! Now I'd love to answer all of your questions and ponderings as to why these brews differ - the secrets of the rice (yes the rice is a blend and not just Yamadanishiki only), the secrets of the water (one is vastly harder than the other), and the secrets of how the tojis tweaked rice of the same milling percentages to taste entirely different in concept (one is a genshu - undiluted sake - with roughly an 18% alcohol content) but I will leave these up to you to discover on your own! Nevertheless here are my brief store reviews for these two brews:

Harushika "Spring Deer"
From Nara Prefecture.
Junmai Dai Ginjo.
SMV: +2.5 Acidity: 1.3
When was the last time that you smelled watermelon and caramel in the same scent? You will also catch a feint hint of sweet rice and rose pedals. Spring Deer is a terrific example of silky Dai Ginjo that has tons of flavor in a creamy and velvety package. It is almost like drinking flavored water. There is a light gooeyness that is neither sweet nor dry just round and silky. It is as soft as a sake comes. So quiet yet so boisterous in feel and complexity. Balanced perfectly this is truly clever Dai Ginjo that explores the veils and nuances of sake.
WORD: Silky
WINE: Soft Reds/ Light Whites
BEER: Blonde Ales
FOODS: Very simple dishes with light flavors, fish mousse, soft buttery cheeses, steamed crab, briny oysters.
$58/720ml

Senpuku "Kura" - "Wine Cellar Of 1,000 Fortunes"
From Hiroshima Prefecture.
Junmai Dai Ginjo.
SMV: +3
Rice: Yamadanishiki/Omachi-Hattan milled to 50%.
This Dai Ginjo has a nectarine and dried fruit nose with a slight hint of coconut. It is dry for a Dai Ginjo and this manifests itself with a springy start and middle-mouth of grass and aromatic flavorings. Vivid and gripping - the viscosity is thick and abundant and the full-bodied richness is not lost on a subtle acidity. Definitely a red wine drinker's Dai Ginjo with lots of flavor and character.
WORD: Bold
WINE: Big Reds
BEER: Guinness/Stouts
FOODS: Baked eel, scallops with broccoli, white fish with ponzu, anything off of the grill, tempura.
$42/720ml

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New Store Arrivals - Spring Nama Second Flight

Well buckle down the hatches as the "second flight" of seasonal nama zakes have blessed True Sake. This is the same second flight as last year and has some great brews to choose from. For those of you looking for a more dry and clean nama experience jump on the Otokoyama. If it smoothness personified then look no further than the Dewanoyuki. If you like it rich and raw with layers of complexity seek out the Gokyo. And for those seeking the massive nama experience with tons of attitude and explosive flavor reach for the Kaika. All in all this flight is drinking equally as well as last year and a couple of the brews have changed for the better.

Otokoyama Yukishibare
From Hokkaido Prefecture.
Tokubetsu Junmai Nama.
SMV: +4 Acidity: 1.4
This unpasteurized seasonal sake has a unique nose filled with kiwi, peach and fresh cut grass aromas. Think light bright and dry - a Nama that speaks to those who like clean and compact brews with subtle fruit elements of green apple and white grapes. The balanced delivery is dry and so to is the quick finish. More Granny Smith qualities come out in a smaller vessel.
WORD: Dry
WINE: Crisp Reds/Dry whites
BEER: Tight ales
FOODS: Very clean cuisines.
$28/720ml

Dewanoyuki Hibirakujitsu
From Yamagata Prefecture.
Tokubetsu Junmai Nama.
SMV: -1.5 Acidity: 1.8
The nose on this unpasteurized seasonal sake is filled with blueberry, peach, tropical fruit, and a hint of chocolate aromas. Wow - talk about a velvety smooth Nama sake! Round, fat and chewy this brew is loaded with tropical fruit flavors including fleshy papaya and mango, but the elevated acidity brings out more richness than sweetness. Big, soft and well-balanced this sake drinks like a hug in your mouth. A bigger vessel brings forth more fruit tones.
WORD: Smooth
WINE: Deep Pinot Noir/ Fat whites
BEER: Creamy Ales
FOODS: Grilled fare, tofu, avocado salads, creamy cheeses.
$26/720ml

Gokyo Arabashiri
From Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Junmai Nama Genshu.
SMV: 3.5 Acidity: 1.7
This fresh seasonally released unpasteurized sake has a fragrant nose with apple, vanilla, sweet rice aromas. Gokyo is back and as vast as ever - deep flavors ride a massive fluid that carries a complexity founded on the strong legs of umami. Behold a gripping brew that is a marathon of layered flavors such as honey, figs, burnt sugar and a hint of butternut squash. Chewy, ripe, and expansive this is a full-bodied drinking experience.
WORD: Complex
WINE: Huge reds/ Massive whites
BEER: Stouts
FOODS: Kitchen sink - throw anything at this sake!
$30/720ml

Kaika Shiboritate
From Tochigi Prefecture.
Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka Genshu.
SMV: +3 Acidity: 1.6
This unpasteurized seasonally released sake has a deep aroma offering filled with cherry, mineral, bamboo and ripe banana elements. Talk about a massive Nama sake - this brew screams huge flavors on a deep and robust acidity slide. A virtual puppet show of flavors such as rich fruits and sweet rice pop up and down at different times. The elevated alcohol content produces a feisty finish with a long goodbye. Expansive and gutsy this non-charcoal- filtered (Muroka) sake relaxes more near room temperature.
WORD: Massive
WINE: Huge Zins/High acidic whites
BEER: Stouts
FOODS: From spicy to meaty it all works!
$26/720ml

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

Our inventory list is here.

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True Selects - Miwa and Lynette Select Monthly Brews

Welcome to the latest new "big thing" at True Sake! "True Selects" represents featured sakes that are selected and championed by Miwa and Lynette - our two resident sake studs. As we can only stock so many different brands of sake - think limited space - this effort is a way to offer sakes that we wouldn't usually carry. They will select by price-point, uniqueness, availability, and other factors that make these selections unusual for the store.

Miwa said "I have selected: Garyubai Junmai Ginjo - Soft, balanced and fruity. This sake is a good example of gentle Shizuoka-style sake. SMV: +4, Acidity: 2.0, Rice: Yamadanishiki (Hyogo) milled to 55% $27

Lynette said "I have selected Nambushi a Yamahai Junmai that is rich and plump! This is a great exploration sake that will speak to those who like deep flavors. More details in the store!"

So when you come to True Sake next or when calling in ask or look for these monthly or bi-monthly special "True Select" sakes and ask Miwa or Lynette to do a little "splaining"!

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True Sake In The News - The WSJ and SF Chronicle

The first is a little store review in the Wall Street Journal that speaks about Hayes Valley as a destination. They did not interview us for the story but must have pulled some information from somewhere as they quote me/us saying that we are the only sake store in the US. Up until a year ago this was true, but we would never say that today! (Our brother stores take note!)

Off the Beaten Track - San Francisco

The second piece is from the San Francisco Chronicle and is an interview with one of my favorite "wine dudes" in the libation world - Mr. Mark Bright. They ask Mark for his favorite places and thankfully True Sake is one of them. Thanks Mark!

Wine Whiz Mark Bright Savors Sake

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Sake Events - When Next In France......

I love when folks send me events to list for one and all. And I am extremely proud that Francois Lavernge sent me the following announcement for a weekly sake tasting in Paris. So the next time that you are in France and you do not want to partake in grape juice then give this tasting a try:

Caviar & Sake - every Tuesday evening

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"Ask Beau"

The month of April was a record for the "Ask Beau" email address because I received over 50 questions in 30 days! That's a lot of enquiries from those who want to know. Some questions were superb, and I will probably use them going forward, but I did receive a large portion of the "can you recommend a sake" type questions.

So I decided to bundle them and reply to Karen T. from San Jose who asked:

"For some reason I have been only tasting very clean and subtle sakes. I have been enjoying these lights sakes, but would really like to explore some more full-bodied or heavier sakes. Do you have any rich recommendations?"

Beau Timken

Ahhhh Karen - Go big or go home! Yes, the push to light and extremely clean sakes is alive and kicking. Most restaurants push the more refined and as such "clean" sakes because quite frankly they are more expensive! Push the pricey brews. It's not such a bad idea for those who do not know too much about sake or are being re-introduced to sake. In fact it is smart. Show folks how unbelievably light and clean sake can be, especially if they are used to jet-fuel hot sake.

What is the best way to get you into some full-figured brews! Go Junmai! Or go towards some more semi-sweet brews that have a less than +3 SMV. More than likely dryer brews will be lighter in general. On sake menus in restaurants stay in the Junmai section. In fact ask to see the bottle first if they sell by the bottle. Turn it around and read the back label to see if the exporter/importer wrote some verbage about the brew. If it is rich - they will extol that. Actually it is a very good idea when ordering sake by the glass or otherwise to ask to see the bottle. There is information on the labels - front and back - that can help you determine what's inside.

Old style sakes such as Kimoto and Yamahai can always be counted upon to provide a richness or full-bodied experience. There are only a few examples of really rich Dai Gingos (Kamoizumi, Tenmei, Yuki no Bosha, Senpuku Kura, Taihaizan Tenko). Within the Ginjo team take a look at brews such as Urakasumi Zen, Bishonen, Kamoizumi Shusen, Yuuga, or Kokuryu. And finally within the Junmai category look at the Kimoto and Yamahai brews, or try Chikurin, Gokyo, Daruma, or Urakasumi.

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 other correspondence should use info @ truesake.com.)

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The SECRET WORD

True Sake 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 macro brewery! There is such a drive towards small artesian sake breweries that sometimes people forget the big boys. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but let's not forget that all major breweries were once microbreweries! As such I have selected a brew from a very large kura in Kobe called Hakutsuru. If you ever have a chance do visit the Hakutsuru Museum - do so! It is brilliant and it is free.

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 brew is a Junmai Ginjo that drinks like a handcrafted micro brewery's effort, but rather it is machine made in bulk and still has a great sense of balance and value. We would sell the Hakutsuru Junmai Ginjo for $20/720ml bottle but for you sake-jockeys we will part with this very smooth brew for a mere $10. And the SECRET WORD is... check your email inbox! We only give out the SECRET WORD in the mailed Newsletter! So sign up for the Newsletter!

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Thank you for reading!


True Sake

Consider this...

A rice varietal called Ginpu only grows in Hokkaido Prefecture. It is a cold weather rice strain and is quite short by brewing rice standards. And you can try it in a brew called Taisetsu for $20/720ml.


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