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Sake to me! Fungi's Sake Journal


Fungi likes to drink good, cold, dry sake. This page is mostly meant as a reminder for him of the sakes he's tried and whether they were worth having again. If your tastes are similar to his, you might find it useful too (or you might discover he has the World's worst palate for this sort of stuff, who knows?).

The List

Kampai!

I've been drinking a lot of sake for many years now; at the moment I've amassed a large collection of good sakes and have only just started recording my impressions here, but until I get through them this will probably be on the sparse side.

Fudo Myoo Junmai Ginjo

Fudo Myoo Junmai Ginjo

A very gamey flavor for this style. I found it sweeter than the label seemed to imply, almost cloying after only a few sips... it's probably to someone's tastes, but not mine I'm afraid.

G Joy Ginshu

Probably my favorite sake so far, and it's not even an import. This one is very dry. It's not really so strong as I'd expect for a ginshu (only around 15%ABV), and remarkably smooth. I highly recommend it, and regularly order a case. I first tried it at Kanki in Durham, NC but have a hard time finding it elsewhere.

Hatsumago Junmai

Hatsumago Junmai

Dry enough but not as smooth as I prefer--for the price there are domestics I would drink over this import.

Kanbara "Bride of the Fox" Junmai Ginjo

Kanbara "Bride of the Fox" Junmai Ginjo

Imported from Kaetsu Shuzo in Niigata Prefecture, made with Gohyakumangoku rice, it's not bad... a little sweeter than I like and somewhat harsh/gamey for the purported style. I found this one at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC.

Kikusui Organic Junmai Ginjo

The first import I've found labeled USDA Organic... most traditional Japanese breweries insist on high enough standards for their ingredients and processes that they'd easily qualify, but they generally don't see a real benefit to applying for the label. This is quite pleasant and smooth, unlike the SCB domestic organic variety. A marvellous sake and I would stock up given the opportunity, but so far I've only encountered it at Waraji in Raleigh, NC.

Nanbu Bijin "Southern Beauty" Junmai Ginjo

Nanbu Bijin "Southern Beauty" Junmai Ginjo

A clean, barely tart and somewhat fruity import made with Ginginga rice by Nanbu Bijin Shuzo out of Iwate Prefecture. This is one of my favorites and I used to be able to find it regularly at Earth Fare, but lately I've only been able to get it at Whole Foods.

Niigata Kiminoi "Emperor's Well" Junmai Ginjo

This import's pretty tasty--dryish with a slightly yeasty smell. Brewed by Kiminoi Shuzo.

Niigata Koshino-Omachi Daiginjo

Slightly sweeter than I would prefer, but still absolutely one of the best imported sakes I've had. It's remarkably clean and crisp tasting, smooth but still a bit of an alcohol flavor (according to the label it's 16-17%ABV so climbing up into the range of genshu). I'm usually able to find it at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC and try to keep it on hand for entertaining any sake-appreciating guests. Waraji in Raleigh, NC has also started carrying it on their regular list.

Shimizu-No-Mai "Pure Dusk" Junmai Daiginjo

Shimizu-No-Mai "Pure Dusk" Junmai Daiginjo

A good (but not great) selection from the Akita Shurui Seizo brewery. For supposedly being junmai daiginjo, it's a bit on the harsh and gamey side... still fruity and fairly clean but not one I would be likely to buy very often.

Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama

Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama

This domestic sake is a staple in my refrigerator. It's a fairly inexpensive domestic with a slightly funky modestly fruity flavor. SCB is often referred to as The Budweiser of Sake and I usually don't go near the stuff, but this particular variety of theirs is not so bad. At the moment it's still one of the only easily-obtainable sakes labeled as organic in the USA. Don't let the claim to be a nama sake fool you though... while it is unpasteurized, it's still shelf-stable due to microfiltering and as such it shouldn't qualify as a real nama. I first tried it at Waraji in Raleigh, NC and found it to be to my liking, though nowhere near the best on their list. Since then the Earth Fare where I usually do my grocery shopping has started stocking it regularly, and I've begun to see it at a number of other places as well.

Takasago Ginja Shizuku "Divine Droplets" Junmai Daiginjo

Takasago Ginja Shizuku "Divine Droplets" Junmai Daiginjo

A clean-tasting import from Hokkaido, made from Yamada Nishiki. I found a bottle at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC. It's a good representative of its style and I would drink it again, but it's a bit pricey.

Tentaka Kuni "Hawk in the Heavens" Junmai

Tentaka Kuni "Hawk in the Heavens" Junmai

A fairly smooth but yeasty import made with Gohyakumangoku rice by Tentaka Shuzo out of Tochigi Prefecture. This is another of my favorites and I used to be able to find it regularly at Earth Fare, but lately I've only been able to get it at Whole Foods.

Tozai "Living Jewel" Junmai

Tozai "Living Jewel" Junmai

A fairly easily-obtained import, made in Kyoto from Koshihikari rice... this is a pretty good sake (not great, but good). It's a bit fruity and somewhat dry but just ever so slightly harsh. I'm also able to find this one at Earth Fare most of the time, so I usually tend to keep a bottle of it on hand.

Tozai "Voices in the Mist" Ginjo Nigori

Tozai "Voices in the Mist" Ginjo Nigori

I'm not normally a fan of nigori as I tend to find it far too sweet, but this one could convert me. It's actually quite dry and smoother than I expected. I found it at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC and will absoutely obtain more the next time I see a bottle.

Sake Miscellanea

I'll wax philosophical about sake tasting, storage, production and many other things here. Feel free to ignore my ramblings.

Drinking Vessels

Sake Bowl

I've tried a lot of things, from typical sake cups to shot glasses to burnished Japanese Cedar masu... I've finally settled on a small glazed ceramic rice bowl which fits comfortably in my hand and holds roughly one masu, rather like a chawan.

CCL: SakeToMe (last edited 2023-01-31 16:33:11 by fungi)

CC0 To the extent possible under law, the creator of this work has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to it.