New Importers – Say Hello To Our Newest Local Sake Importers “De Maison Selections”
It’s such an exciting time in the international sake industry right now. Why? Glad that you asked, because so much sake is making its way from Japan to our shelves and your choices are blowing up. You literally have more sake selections to choose from than any other country in the world. And you just got even luckier as we have a new importer of sake, and the distributor is local. Very local.
Say hello to Jack Hyland from Avanelle Wine, who attended SAKE DAY ’26, and then tasted us on his lineup a couple of weeks later. In fact, he tasted us twice and we decided to carry five of his new brews from Hokkaido, Sado Island Niigata, Nagano, and Wakayama. So as a welcome to the sake family, we invited Jack to write a little piece for this Newsletter talking about his distribution company, their collective sake philosophies, and their breweries that are all new to the US Market. Herewith is a portion of Jack’s magic. Please click the link to read his entire piece on Avanelle Wines, and their importing partner De Maison, and his love for sake:
Sake as Sculpture: De Maison Selections Delivers Their Fresh Perspective Along With Four New Breweries By Jack Hyland:
An essential component of what makes exploring sake so exciting for me is a sense of discovery. Even if it’s just an idea or experience new to you, trodding a well-worn path, enthusiasm springs forward when trying a new sake, wine, tea, beer, or cocktail that changes how you look at not only that particular glass, but the category as whole. In the wine world (and beyond), we often refer to those moments that something clicks as an “A-ha!” moment.
I should be up-front in that I am, relatively speaking, quite new in my exposure to sake beyond what more or less may be the standard Californian experience. I grew up in Oakland & Berkeley, surrounded by plenty of Japanese cuisine; sushi for lunch was at least a bi-monthly experience and once I was of age, a small bottle or carafe at the table, maybe warmed next to a bowl of udon wasn’t exactly a foreign experience. Still, I would say I was guilty of saving my sake drinking to those sorts of venues, and my exposure to the world was limited at best.
Over the last few years that has all changed. There are great local producers and retailers expanding my perspective. There are restaurants and bars showcasing interesting and unique brews outside of the casual eateries I grew up with. I have been reading, visiting breweries, speaking to experts with decades of experience over my own, and most importantly, tasting everything.
I’ve worked in the beverage and restaurant industry my entire career, with 8 years in craft beer and now in my eighth year working in the wine business, and am no stranger to cocktails. Because it is a grain-based product, I’ll there is a little nostalgia in it for me stemming from my younger days running around managing a craft brewery in Berkeley. I have had more than my fair share of exposure and “A-Ha!” moments throughout that time, those first impressions that changed how you looked at a certain bottling, or style, or flavor and made you feel like you “get it”. Experiencing and then sharing those moments is so much of what makes working in this trade so gratifying, and I am fortunate to be able to work with great people like De Maison Selections and True Sake and have the opportunity to share and learn more. Working with the new breweries we are bringing into California, I am having revelations about sake all the time now, being challenged and gratified as I dig in deeper.
A large part of my love for sake is in the versatility of use and service. Different sakes for different occasions, environments, and weather… or the same sake served at different temperatures with similar range and effect. I love the artistry and intent that goes into the bottles, the carafes, and of course the sake itself. This attention to detail, composition, and intent are behind De Maison’s philosophy and view sake as a beverage that is built, like a sculpture; something that is carved out and chipped away at, literally polished until the final product is revealed from the mind of the Toji to the glass.
It is always an interesting development when certain classes of beverages begin to influence one another, usually for the betterment of everything involved. Grape must in sour beer, wine bars pouring a junmai ginjo by the glass, sake brewers diving deeper and focusing on their local terroir are all the beneficiaries of crossing categories, and are all the more compelling for it. De Maison Selections, with all of the experience working with wine-growers and distillers throughout France and Spain are perfectly set up for not only bringing new sakes to the market, but also being active partners with the breweries and the people who work there.
De Maison and Avanelle Wine Company, the California distributor and the company I represent, have worked in fine wine for a combined amount of well over 50 years. Engaging with small producers, learning and telling their stories, developing business relationships along with great friendships, is what we do. And our world has just gotten a little bit bigger. The same care, authenticity, and focus we give to our wines has been heavily applied in selecting the four breweries we are now bringing to you all, and hopefully, we all have that “A-Ha!” feeling that comes from experiencing something new and truly delicious.
With that, let’s explore the four new breweries; it is worth mentioning that all of these are brand new to the American market, although some enterprising enthusiasts may have had the opportunity to sample some brought back in a suitcase from Japan…
MICHIZAKURA BREWERY — HOKKAIDO
A 7-generation family business finds their new home in the far North.
The Michizakura story is a great reminder that tradition doesn't always mean staying in one place. The brewery traces its roots to Gifu Prefecture in 1877, but 7th generation Toji Koji Yamada made big moves in 2019, relocating the family operation to Higashikawa, Hokkaido. An unusual and surprising change, but a decision made with thoughtfulness and intent to be sure. Hokkaido offers a very different environment for sake brewing, with much cooler temperatures, pristine snowmelt from the Mt Taisetsu, and locally grown rice varieties that give Yamada-san new possibilities to explore in their new home.
The resulting sake balances precision and freshness with a satisfying sense of rice character. Depending on the bottle, you might find soft white-fruit aromas, a supple texture, or a more pronounced savory finish. I myself gravitate towards their Junmai Ginjo ‘Kitashizuku 55’, which sports a 55% semai-buai and a pleasing round texture and floral nose, but for the money there is a strong case to be made for their ‘R Class’ bottling. The ‘R” is for Rich-tasting (and Reasonable), in case you were wondering, which is partially achieved through the use of nanatsuboshi rice, named for what we might call the Big Dipper. From DMS: “The “R-class” line: brewed to honjozo-grade standards but sold, deliberately, as futsu-shu (table-grade sake)” to help keep the price very Reasonable.
For those of you who enjoy exploring the relationship between a brewery and its surroundings, Michizakura offers a compelling example of how a historic family brewery can evolve by embracing a new sense of place. Especially so, given the limited amount of sake from Hokkaido that’s available to pour into your cup.
TENRYOHAI BREWERY — NIIGATA PREFECTURE
Proud and independent island spirit with modern precision.
Now we sail for Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata, where master brewer Kato Senichi is reimagining what Niigata sake can be. He took over the operation at the incredibly young age of 24, learning every step of the process and each tool through much hard labor, trial, and error to get to where we are now. The region has long been associated with Tanrei Karakuchi; a clean, crisp, light-bodied, dry style that pairs beautifully with food. However, Kato-san is pushing those boundaries with he calls “New Niigata Tanrei,” producing sake with naturally lower alcohol, remarkable clarity, and plenty of character including a delightful slight effervescence. Through no small amount of tinkering and iteration, the toji has achieved something intriguing: these are all genshu sake, so they're undiluted after brewing while their alcohol levels can be relatively low thanks to Kato-san's carefully controlled fermentation techniques.
The result is sake that can feel featherlight without being watery or lacking substance. The mouthfeel and texture of these coupled with the lower alcohol make these a fascinating introduction for wine-drinkers to sake, and for sake aficionados this is a whole new approach worthy of your investigation. Overall, think freshness, delicate orchard fruit, and a beautifully clean finish. I am personally fond of the ‘Narukami - God of Lightning’ bottling, which I find to have a slight savory and warm-spice note, though the ‘Hiyori - Beautiful Day’ has a pleasant, soft mint flavor and chalky character. If you enjoy sake that is elegant, refreshing, and exceptionally food-friendly, Tenryohai is a brewery keep an eye on and enjoy the innovative vision of its brewer.
ILAKA SAKE ATELIER — NAGANO PREFECTURE
A fresh start springs forth in the Japanese Alps for a long-storied legacy.
Ilaka Sake Atelier is a project that combines centuries of brewing heritage with a remarkably forward-looking vision. As I am still learning more and more, it may be premature to say I have any true favorites (and may be rude to say so…) but as a wine-drinker I can’t deny being drawn to these sake bottles. The elegant fluted bottled, clean and bold label stand out strongly, and of course what’s inside those bottles reminds of some of the first moments I said “A-ha!” to great white Burgundy while I was the Wine Director at Absinthe in SF… there’s an undeniable energy to these with their elevated acidity, incredible length, and excellent tension.
Master brewer Katsumi Tanaka brings more than 30 years of brewing experience to this new chapter. The brewery carries forward a sake-making legacy dating to 1665, reestablished in 2024 in Matsukawa Village, Nagano, amid the spectacular Northern Japanese Alps. Ilaka's philosophy puts local ingredients front and center. The brewery works with rice grown within just a few kilometers of its home and incredibly soft mountain snowmelt, creating sake that reflects the surrounding landscape.
The approach is also refreshingly individualistic. Ilaka's core Silver Series explores different expressions of aroma, sweetness, acidity, texture, and umami, rather than treating polishing ratios as the sole measure of quality. The range includes everything from balanced, classic profiles to more aromatic or deeply savory expressions. The Gold series ups the ante, pulling the heart of the heart of the batch for those bottlings. I myself am drawn to the Crimson label of the Silver Series for its bold character and wildly expressive aromatic profile and incredibly long finish… I would seriously consider serving it in a Burgundy bowl to let it really show off and fully experience everything the toji fit into that 720ml bottle.
Expect a combination of precision and texture, with the potential for floral notes, bright citrus, ripe fruit, and striking mineral character. For anyone who loves seeing tradition become the starting point for innovation rather than a set of rules, Ilaka is the producer to not sleep on and order a bottle today!
YOSHIMURA HIDEO SHOTEN — WAKAYAMA PREFECTURE
Deep & rich umami, traditional methods taught by a master, and a remarkable woman at the helm.
Now we're talking about a brewery for those who like their sake with a little more depth and intrigue. Founded in 1915, Yoshimura Hideo Shoten is led by master brewer Akiko Fujita, whose dedication to traditional brewing methods has helped shape the brewery's distinctive personality. After much effort to become acquainted, Fujita-san studied under legendary brewer Naohiko Noguchi, a major figure in the revival of the yamahai method. At Yoshimura, she brings that experience to sake made with traditional kimoto and yamahai techniques, which encourage more complex fermentation and can develop wonderfully savory, layered flavors. Another interesting component of this brewery is the aging of bottles prior to release from the brewery, allowing more texture and breadth to develop.
To give a little voice to the wine perspective, these sakes can be challenging at first glance, as there isn’t a whole lot of corollary outside of heavily aged wines such as jerez. The weight and umami of a yamahai isn’t as obviously pleasing to the uninitiated enjoyer of Sancerre, but with a little bit of exposure and consideration there is much wealth and pairing opportunities to be found in these rich sakes. These are the red wine drinkers sakes, and for our portfolio also the bottles I would most encourage to experiment serving at room temperature or getting the carafe out and serving warmer. I myself thoroughly enjoyed trying a bottle of the Kurumazaka Kimoto Junmai simultaneously at three temperatures by pouring a glass at room temperature, warming a carafe, and chilling the same bottle to explore what shows out where… I think my incidentally very San Francisco pairing for that happened to be carne asada, which played very well with all of that umami, especially the warmed version.
Think rich rice umami, earthy mushroom notes, creamy textures, and subtle lactic nuances — all balanced by clarity and freshness. Some expressions also benefit from careful bottle aging,allowing their flavors to harmonize and deepen over time, another element that folks coming from the wine world can appreciate, given the right exposure. This is sake that rewards a little curiosity. If you've ever wondered why sake can be every bit as complex and contemplative as a great wine, Yoshimura is a delicious place to start.
Four Breweries & Four New Opportunities to Fall in Love with Sake
What ties our four producers together isn't a single flavor profile or brewing method. It's a commitment to craftsmanship, a strong sense of identity, and the people behind every bottle. De Maison Selections and Avanelle Wine Company have built their reputations by working directly with independent producers, and are bringing that same relationship-driven approach to sake. Rather than relying on intermediaries, the team traveled throughout Japan to meet the brewers and establish direct relationships, same as we do throughout Europe, the U.S., and here in California.
For sake lovers, that means an opportunity to discover producers who may be new to the American market but have plenty to say about the future of Japanese sake. Whether your happy place is crisp and refreshing, rich and savory, or somewhere in between, this new collection offers four very different invitations to explore.
Whether you are a long-time lover of sake, a curious wino, cocktail connoisseur or a reformed beer geek looking to explore something challenging and fun (and, of course, delicious!), you should keep an open mind, pour yourself a glass, and let the sake tell you its story.
Cheers, Santé, & Kampai!
Jack Hyland