TOP TEN – 10 Sakes That Medaled At The International Wine Challenge 2013

Do medal winning sakes mean that they are special or better than other sakes out there? Good question. I think medal-winning sakes mean that they were the sakes that separated themselves from the pack. So let’s call them special in the sense that they have special character – just like you! I will put them in order of importance to further your sake knowledge and exploration. The lower the number the higher the special-ness!
10) Ozeki Karatamba
- A super serviceable Honjozo that is very dependable and on a lot of restaurant menus.
- A super tasty Daiginjo from a brewery that only makes Daiginjo sake. True Sake carries 3, sometimes 4, Born sakes.
- A killer brewery that makes a super silky Yamahai that is very drinkable, unlike most big and fusty Yamahais.

- A very flavorful Junmai Daiginjo from a brewery that is known for only pasteurizing their sakes once.
- The famous Nagano brewery makes this Daiginjo and it is the pride of their brewery. Next time at True Sake watch the video of sake being made. It’s this sake!
- Two more tremendous Junmai Daiginjos from the uber popular brewery called Dassai. These sakes are made with rice milled to 23% and 39% respectively. True Sake just took shipment of the 39 in 300ml – great to taste size!
- Talk about a tasty sake. This Junmai is made in Yamagata prefecture and it is meant to highlight the flavor of water in sake. And the flavor is GOOD!

- Yet another Daiginjo from the popular Masumi brewery, the inventors of the special brewing yeast called Association #7 and this Yamahai celebrates that!
- This is a very drinkable and food friendly Yamahai and it comes from a brewery that was founded in 1487 and that is like tasting history in the bottle.
- This trophy winning sake is a Kijoshu sake that has been aged for 8 years. Think sherry, think port, think after dinner sake that is sweet and rich! If you have never tried an aged sake or a kijoshu sake then add this to your list!