Shinshin

Hi I’m Shinshin, a long-time sake drinker and Japanese culture enthusiast. It’s always a great pleasure for me to share my passion for sake and all the stories behind it to people who want to know more and love sake more. Working in True Sake brings me so many opportunities to do that. I speak English, Mandarin, and also some Japanese. Feel free to chat with me whenever you are in the store :) !

I usually drink sake with fragrant aroma and smooth taste. Luckily there are so many bottles falling into this category. When writing this staff picks, I was almost torn among all the bottles I loved, am loving, and will love for sure in the future. So I just put some that really impressed me recently. Hope you will like them too. 

Harushika Junmai Daiginjo "Spring Deer" - A classic that never fails me. The fruity fragrance holds up your expectation to a superb Daiginjo. The taste is very well layered. Every sip feels like unfolding a roll of traditional Japanese brocade fabric, lux and shining. I can go back to this bottle again and again.

Yuki No Bosha Junmai Ginjo "Cabin in the Snow" - This sake is already quite popular, but good bottles do not mind receiving multiple recognitions :). It brings a captivating aroma of ripe strawberries, and tastes like a soft clean flow, with a hint of acidity to balance the sweetness. It's my go-to recommendation for both fruity sake fans and wine lovers.

Izumibashi Megumi Junmai Genshu "Red Label" - I’ve really enjoyed this bottle recently. You can see even my cat wants to get a sip too (lol just kidding). It smells earthy and musky, tastes rich, savory, creamy and flavorful. I found myself drinking it with my seafood pasta, with my homemade miso-based hotpot, even with my takeout chicken fajita. Acting as the backbone of the dining table, this bottle lifts my food experience to the next level. 

Ohyama Tomizu Tokubetsu Junmai "Special Water" - If we translate “Tomizu” (十水) to English, it literally means “Ten Water”. This name carries two different meanings. First, “Ten Water” actually is a brewing technique from Edo period that keeps the water and rice ratio to 1:1, which uses less water than current mainstream brewing techniques do. This is also how Ohyama Tomizu is made. Second, number 10 can also be used to metaphorically describe a perfect and harmonious state. “Ten Water” (or “Special Water”) holds up to this name with well-balanced fruity aroma and taste. It performs well across different temperatures, either chilled or room temp. It’s my bottle of harmony. 

Kikuhime Futsushu "Kiku" - To be honest, I’ve never imagined that a Futsushu can bring me such luxury, complex, and velvety feelings before I tried this bottle. The flavor is abundant. Every sip has its own depth, like getting lost in a mystery tropical jungle while trying to find every hinted flavor inside. If you like the rice-y side of sake, this bottle will bring you a condensed good experience.

Gozenshu Bodaimoto Usu Nigori "Nigori of the Ancients" - Nigori sake tends to be sweet and creamy, but this one is a little bit different. Still tastes smooth, with a well-balanced sweetness & acidity, and is surprisingly refreshing when drinking chilled. This is all because of the special “Bodaimoto” style, one of the oldest brewing techniques developed by monks. This method first nurtures lactic acid water as the base to further brew sake, thus bringing a yogurt-like flavor to this nigori. This is my first “Bodaimoto” bottle and I really like it. I hope you will enjoy it too.