Joy of Sake 2012 Award Winners Sake Tasting!

After much fanfare and ado, the 2012 Joy of Sake event is now over.  As expected, this years event was extremely enjoyable, with loads of delicious food and of course, tasty sake!  Opinions were varied, but most people seem to like Pier 2 as the new venue.  It’s central location and ample parking made getting there very easy, and the passenger terminal  provided a large and roomy place to comfortably sip sake.

As we always do following the Joy of Sake event, we’re having our “Award Winners” sake tasting this Saturday.  Be sure to strap yourselves in for a “wild ride” as Yoshi from World Sake Imports will be pouring EIGHT different sake, all of which have been awarded GOLD or SILVER.  To help ease the crowding and give everyone enough time to sample so many different sake, we’re starting the tasting early at 2:00pm and will be tasting until 7:30pm.

JOY OF SAKE 2012 AWARD WINNERS
COMPLIMENTARY SAKE TASTING AND SALE
Saturday, August 4, 2012
2:00pm to 7:30pm

Here is the lineup for Saturday.

MIYASAKA YAWARAKA
“Sake Matinee”
Junmai

Very popular sake at the shop.  This charming junmai with it’s faint taste of wild plum represents a new direction for Japanese brewers.  It is unbelievably smooth and gentle with sweetness and acidity in finely etched balance.  It’s light flavor and lower alcohol content (12%) make it ideal for lunchtime sake sipping.  GOLD

AKITABARE KOSHIKI JUNZUKURI
“Northern Skies”
Junmai

Akitabare is the kind of sake one can drink enjoyably for hours at a stretch.  (Not that we’ve ever tried doing this … heh heh! )  It’s subdued, understated refinement evokes a sense of the Northern province where it is meticulously brewed.  SILVER

DEWAZAKURA DAIGINJO
“Mountain Cherry”
Daiginjo

Rarely sampled at the shop, this is one you won’t want to miss.   This sake is reminiscent of softly melting snow.  It has a mild floral fragrance, revealing notes of peach and apricot at mid-range, concluding with  a light and slightly dry finish.  GOLD

TAMAGAWA KINSHO
“Heart of Gold”
Daiginjo

Philip Harper’s masterpiece, this sake is round and full flavored with gambling fruit and floral displays joined by riper fruit and grassy nuances.  Glacial incrementations of flavor achieved by sub-zero bottle aging impart both silky viscosity and depth.  SILVER  

DEWAZAKURA OKA
“Cherry Bouquet”
Ginjo

Soft feeling on the tongue, Oka’s transparency of flavor matches the clarity of the colorless liquor.  It is floral rather than fruity, though there is a touch of pear and perhaps melon. GOLD

DEWAZAKURA DEWASANSAN
“Green Ridge”
Ginjo

Another very popular sake at the shop.  With its floral nose and mellow fruity flavor, “Dewasansan” is a rewarding choice for wine drinkers new to the world of sake.  It has a wholesome freshness with a green apple tartness and refreshing finish.  GOLD

DEWAZAKURA OMACHI
“Jewel Brocade”
Ginjo

Made from Omachi  rice, the ancestral strain from which virtually all sake brewing rices are descended, with a luscious aroma and ornate flavor that deepens and mellows on the palate.  GOLD

TEDORIGAWA YAMAHAI JUNMAI
“Silver Mountain”
Junmai

This is Nadine’s favorite everyday drinking sake.  It is a connoisseur’s junmai sake, dry, sharp and smooth all in one.  It’s mild astringency, characteristic of sakes made using the old yamahai method, is balanced by a faintly discernible sweetness.  GOLD

So please join us this Saturday to sample some award winning sake at the shop.

Kanpai,
Malcolm & Nadine Leong
The Sake Shop

JOY OF SAKE 2012 AWARD WINNERS
COMPLIMENTARY SAKE TASTING AND SALE
Saturday, August 4, 2012
2:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Kinoshita Brewery

Kinoshita Brewery is located in Kyoto prefecture and was originally  founded in 1842.  They produce Tamagawa sake which translates to “Jewel River” in English.

In 2007 their brewmaster passed away after 48 years of service.  The owner, Yoshito Kinoshita, considered closing the brewery but instead took a chance and made some bold changes to revitalize his business.

First, Mr. Kinoshita had his brother-in-law create a new design and logo for the brewery.  Then, he hired foreign brewmaster, Philip Harper, to take charge as their new toji.

The gamble paid off immediately as Philip Harper’s Tamagawa Kinsho won gold at the prestigious Japan National Sake Appraisal after his very first season at the brewery.

Philip’s sake continues to do well as his Tamagawa Kinsho took silver at this years US National Appraisals in Hawaii.  (We’ll be sampling this sake at the tasting.)

Malcolm, Philip Harper and Nadine
As much as we enjoyed sampling all of the great sake at the recent Joy of Sake event, the highlight of the evening was getting to meet and chat with Philip Harper, brewmaster at Kinoshita Brewery.

Philip Harper holds the distinction of being the only foreign sake brewmaster or “toji” in Japan. Originally from England, he went to Japan in 1988 to teach English with the JET program.

It was during this time that a teaching colleague introduced Philip to sake, which he totally embraced and fell in love with.  After his commitment to the JET program was up, Philip ended up staying in Japan, eventually working as a laborer in a sake brewery.

In the following years, Philip worked his way up from laborer to eventually passing the Nanbu Brewer’s Guild Exam in 2001 and became the first and only foreign sake brewmaster in Japan.  We’ll be tasting his award winning “Kinsho” sake this Saturday.

Dewazakura Brewery
Four of the award winning sake we will be sampling this Saturday comes from Dewazakura Brewery.  They make some really good sake there so it comes as no surprise.

Dewazakura Brewery is located in the snowy Alps of Yamagata prefecture in Northern Japan.

Founded in 1893, Dewazakura is known for producing crisp, aromatic and cleanly balanced sake.  The brewery’s sub-zero storage technique make it possible to enjoy their wonderful sake all year round.

Dewazakura is known as the brewery who brought the first “ginjo” sake to the masses (Oka) by producing an affordable ginjo sake for the first time over 30 years ago.

Prior to this, ginjo sake was only made for sake competitions and it was much too expensive to produce for general sale.  Dewazakura Oka won gold at this years US National Appraisals (Joy of Sake) and we’ll be sampling it this Saturday!

Mr. Nakano and Nadine
Last year Nadine and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Masumi Nakano, the President of Dewazakura Brewery.

You may have noticed that Mr. Nakano’s first name “Masumi” is the same name as a very well known line of sake also called “Masumi” that is made by a different brewery.

It turns out that there is a very interesting connection between Dewazakura and Masumi.  Be sure to ask Yoshi to tell your the story about this at the tasting this Saturday.

Joy of Sake Kagami Biraki Ceremony
If you were early to the Joy of Sake event this year you may have been lucky enough to watch the “Kagami Biraki” ceremony.  Basically a sake barrel is opened by hitting it’s lid with a hammer.

While we were there to watch the ceremony this year, we forgot to take a picture of it so we’re borrowing a picture from our friend Lindsey that she took at the 2010 Joy of Sake event.  Thanks Lindsey!

In the old days you would use an actual sake barrel filled with sake for the ceremony.  These days the sake barrel is hollow with a stainless steel bowl inside.  You pour your premium sake inside and then place the cover back on before “opening” it with the hammer.

Kagami Biraki is usually done for celebratory occasions such as weddings, new business openings or special events like the Joy of Sake.

Picture Courtesy of Hawaii Magazine
Since we’ve opened the shop, we’ve had so many people ask us if we have these sake barrels available for rent.  Up until now our answer has unfortunately been “no” but good news is just around the corner.

It took some doing but we were finally able to secure a beautiful sake barrel from Japan.  It’s on order and should arrive in Hawaii some time in late August 2012.

Once it arrives we’ll make it available for rent, for your wedding, new business opening or other happy occasion.  We’ll also provide the wooden hammers and bamboo ladle to go along with the barrel.