Chad

Hey everyone! My name is Chad and I’m a long-time customer become employee here at True Sake. I love alcohol, but I'm not a drunk - I get lost in each singular and unique drinking experience and the plethora of aromatic compounds, flavor solubles, and mouthfeel with every beverage. And seeing how they pair with food makes the rabbit hole that much deeper.

That being said, my favorite bevs whether wine, beer, or sake all have a theme of being medium-ish bodied, easy-to-drink, balanced but with more fruit forward notes, and a juicy, high-acidity to carry it through.

Izumibashi Akitonbo Junmai Ginjo "Autumn Dragonfly" - This was one of the first bottles I bought after working at True Sake and when I opened it, I knew it was going to be an incredible drinking experience. This is a balanced sake that wafts between fruit notes, minerality, and a kiss of herbs with a slick texture and body that makes it quaffable by itself, or a match with light drinking foods.

Kamoizumi Aged Namazume "Red Maple" - I first tried this many years ago on alcohol pairings at some restaurants in San Francisco. It is an aged nama sake that is an experience to drink. It reminds me of a nice Madeira or Fino sherry where you have a bright acidity to balance the sweet fruit tones. But there is some funky smoked umami to lace underneath it. Room temp or chilled, I love this with spicy food or an after-dinner digestif.

Kamoshibito Kuheiji Junmai Daiginjo "Eau Du Désir" - I was first exposed to this brewery many years ago in Tokyo and full circle re-introduced to this cuvée 2 years ago from another friend. Lucky enough, I learned that we stock it at True Sake and it is perpetually in my fridge ever since. Kuheiji is a wine drinker’s sake. You’ll find a spritziness to it, but matched with some structure and zestiness with an off-dry finish that makes this quaffable before or during a meal.

Isojiman Tokubetsu Junmai "Omachi 53" - This is a sake that is completely well-crafted and extremely balanced, and is an outlier in my lineup in that it is probably the most dry and non-fruity among my selections. It is layered with sweetness from cream and vanilla, umami, and rounded out with hints of green tea.

Mutsu Hassen Tokubetsu Junmai "Red Label" - This is a sleeper hit that carries the same theme as Kuheiji as being spritzy, lively, juicy and quaffable. This is a sake that is perfect for those looking for an easy, fruit-laden sipper, but is not cloying - the acidity balances it out.

IWA 5 Junmai Daiginjo - This is a special brew for wine drinkers and high-acid heads, or those looking for a special gift bottle. 3 rice varietals, 5 yeasts (2 of which are used for wine), this is a sake that evolves with time. It is as if you marry the crisp acidity of a Chablis, with the structure of a Meursault, with the aromas and flavors found in sake. How can rice taste like this?!