Joy of Sake Gold and Silver Award Winner Sake Tasting!

JOY OF SAKE GOLD AND SILVER AWARD WINNERS SAKE TASTING!

We have an UNBELIEVABLE sake tasting coming up this Saturday!  No joke, this is going to be a Great One! Right off the back, we’re sampling SEVEN Gold and Silver award winning sake from this years Joy of Sake event. But that’s just the beginning … it gets EVEN BETTER!

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN HAWAII, we’ll be sampling all FOUR Koshi no Kanbai sake together at the same time. Known as the “Phantom Sake”, you can’t find all four Koshi no Kanbai offered together at any restaurant in Hawaii, let alone for sale at any retail store (except ours of course). Besides Tokusen, Muku and Kinmuku, we’ll also be sampling Koshi no Kanbai Chotokusen, their high end Daiginjo for the very first time!

While normally only available for purchase at restaurants,  we’ve received special permission to offer a limited amount of all four Koshi no Kanbai sake for purchase that day. Yoshi from World Sake Imports will be on hand to pour these incredible sake and keep the peace in case a sake riot breaks out.

Not sure if we’ll ever get the chance to do this again, so please stop by if  you can.

JOY OF SAKE GOLD AND SILVER AWARD WINNERS SAKE TASTING
Saturday, September 20, 2014
2:00pm to 7:30pm

MIYASAKA YAWARAKA JUNMAI
“SAKE MATINEE”
Junmai
GOLD AWARD

This charming junmai, with it’s faint taste of wild plum, represents a new direction for Japanese brewers. It is smooth and gentle, with sweetness and acidity in finely etched balance. Ideal for lunchtime sake sipping. Gold award winner at this years Joy of Sake/U.S. National Appraisals and a best seller at the shop.

 

KOSHI NO KANBAI CHOTOKUSEN
“PINNACLE OF PERFECTION”
Daiginjo
GOLD AWARD

 

KOSHI NO KANBAI TOKUSEN
“VANISHING POINT”
Ginjo
GOLD AWARD

From the very first sip, this sake displays a variety of subtle, ineffable flavors, which converge and diffuse just on the edge of the mind’s awareness. Its elusive nature has given Koshi no Kanbai the nickname “The Phantom Sake”. First time sampling this sake at the shop.

KOSHI NO KANBAI KINMUKU
“MILKY WAY”
Junmai Ginjo
SILVER AWARD

KOSHI NO KANBAI MUKU
“PURE REALM”
Tokubetsu Junmai
SILVER AWARD

Muku possesses an imposing profile, with big taste and an intermingling of flavors that defies easy description. Medium-bodied, cleanly balanced, with a deep and satisfying finish.

DEWAZAKURA OMACHI
“JEWELED BROCADE”
Ginjo
GOLD AWARD

Made from Omachi rice, the ancestral strain from which virtually all sake brewing rice are descended. With a luscious aroma and ornate flavor that deepens and mellows on the palate, this sake is delicious both chilled and slightly warmed.

SOHOMARE TOKUBETSU KIMOTO
“HEART AND SOUL”
Tokubetsu Junmai
SILVER AWARD

Contemporary rendition of ancient kimoto style sake. Soulfully drinkable with plenty of acidity and ample umami, all in perfect harmony. Made with Yamadanishiki, Japan’s finest sake brewing rice. One of our new favorites at the shop.
You are not going to want to miss this tasting so be sure to stop by the shop this Saturday. Hope to see you then!

Kanpai,
Malcolm & Nadine Leong
The Sake Shop

JOY OF SAKE GOLD AND SILVER AWARD WINNERS SAKE TASTING
Saturday, September 20, 2014
2:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Ryuzo Ishimoto

The farmers of Kameda in Niigata prefecture where Ishimoto Sake Brewery is located, long brewed nigori-zake to earn extra revenue during the freezing winter months. But in 1900, home brewing of sake was prohibited by law, which brought a halt to their activities.

In response, Ryuzo Ishimoto, wanting to offer the citizens of Kameda the opportunity to drink their traditional beverage, started a brewery and named his sake Koshi no Kanbai, which means “plum flowers blossoming in the winter cold”.

Ishimoto Sake Brewery Workers
The foundations of the brewery’s reputation today were laid by the 2nd generation brewery head, Seigeo Ishimoto. He began using rice purchased from Okayama and Hyogo.

When digging in the backyard of his home, he also discovered a source of water that he felt would be well suited for sake brewing.  The results of these efforts was the top prize at a national contest for alcoholic beverages held in 1926.

Mr. Tatsunori Ishimoto
President of Ishimoto Sake Brewery
In 1913, due to wartime need, Ishimoto Sake Brewery was ordered to produce rations for the military. Consequently, the brewery began making wine, and an official appraiser of the Kanto-Shinetsu Regional Taxation Bureau, Tetsuro Tanaka, came to oversee the switch.

This encounter would have a profound effect on the brewery’s subsequent history. Ishimoto and Tanaka became determined to brew an ideal sake, without making any compromises. They continued working to perfect Koshi no Kanbai.

Famous Koshi no Kanbai
Bamboo Fence
Eventually this sake became appreciated by connoisseurs and Dr. Kinichiro Sakaguchi recommended Koshi no Kanbai at a German party, where a European wine would have been the conventional choice.

In a time when heavy, sweet sakes were the norm, Hisako Sasaki, the editor of sake magazine was fascinated by the robust dry taste of Koshi no Kanbai. Sasaki introduced it to her readers, recommending it as an unconventional sake.

Her enthusiasm encouraged weekly mass market magazines to feature Koshi no Kanbai, further boosting the sake’s popularity and earning it a strong reputation that it retains to this day.

* Preceding information regarding Koshi no Kanbai from the book “Sekai ni Hokoru “Kokushu” Nihonshu.

Dewazakura Sake Brewery

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.

Mr. Masumi Nakano

A couple of years ago, Nadine and I had the pleasure of first meeting Mr. Masumi Nakano, the President of Dewazakura Brewery. Since then we’ve been lucky enough to see him several times, most recently at our “Meet the Brewers” event this past July.

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 Miyasaka Sake Brewery.

It turns out that there is a very interesting connection between Dewazakura and Masumi.  While we won’t be sampling any Masumi sake this Saturday, be sure to ask Yoshi to tell your the story about this.

Sohomare Sake Brewery
Sohomare Sake Brewery was established in 1872 by the Kono family and is located in Tochigi prefecture. Relatively new to Hawaii and first introduced at last years Joy of Sake event, Sohomare is brewed using the old school Kimoto method.

Mr. Jun Kono
Jun Kono, President of Sohomare Sake Brewing Company comes from an old sake brewing family with roots in Shikoku. During the Edo period they made sake in Shiga prefecture and then in 1872, moved to their current location in Tochigi prefecture.

In his early twenties he traveled to France, studying the language and visiting European wineries. Returning to Japan, he graduated from the prestigious Tokyo University, where he specialized in micro-economics. In 1989 he returned to Tochigi to take over brewery operations.

Sohomare Brewery Workers
By using the best available Yamadanishiki rice, polished at the brewery itself, and by using precise brewing methods, Sohomare brought a new sense of elegance to the Kimoto sake category.

In recognition of it’s skill, in 2013 Sohomare Sake Brewery won the top award at the Kanto-Shinshu Regional Sake Judging of entries from 211 breweries in six prefectures, including Nagano and Niigata.